Puma Ends Sponsorship of Israeli National Soccer Team Amid Gaza Conflict

No more possibility of renewing the partnership between Puma and the Israeli football team. On Tuesday, the German equipment manufacturer officially announced the end of its agreement with this team. "Puma’s current contract with the Israeli national football team will not be renewed upon its expiration in 2024," said a brand spokesperson, however stressing that this has nothing to do with the war between the Hebrew state and the Palestinian Hamas movement, nor the calls for a boycott of Puma due to its alliance with the Israeli Football Association (IFA). This decision would have been made well before the Hamas attack on October 7 and the Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip.

To read: Moroccan Activists Urge World Cup Fans to Boycott Puma Jersey Over Israel Ties

In addition to Israel, Serbia is also affected by this decision, which is part of a restructuring of Puma’s global sports strategy. The brand has decided to "implement its new ’less, bigger, better’ strategy and apply it to sports marketing as well," said the same company spokesperson.

In 2018, calls for a boycott were launched against Puma after it decided to sponsor the Israeli national team. To put an end to this, the brand had defended itself from endorsing "the settlements by explaining that its contract was with the national team and not with a local team in the settlements."