http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/05/14/liverpool.naming.ap/index.htmlCarlsberg keen on Liverpool stadium naming rights
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MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Liverpool's shirt sponsor Carlsberg is keen on buying the naming rights for the English club's new stadium as the brewer renegotiates its current deal, The Associated Press has learned.
The Danish beer's ties with the Reds stretch back to 1991, making it the Premier League's longest commercial partnership. The current contract, worth seven million pounds ($10.6 million) annually, expires at the end of the 2009-10 season.
In announcing Carlsberg's intentions to the AP on Thursday, head of sponsorship Gareth Roberts indicated his company would be monitoring the club's bid to refinance a loan of around 250 million pounds ($375 million) or potential sale and, more crucially, progress on replacing the crumbling Anfield stadium.
The 60,000-seat venue on the adjacent Stanley Park was due to have been ready by 2011, but the global economic downturn forced co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. to halt building work last year.
Carlsberg, though, is still keen on the new stadium bearing its name.
"That will be part of the discussion I'm sure but there's been no decisions yet," Roberts said.
Roberts found the off-field tensions between Hicks and Gillett distracting, but last month's show of unity, with the Americans sitting together during the 4-4 draw with Arsenal, was an encouraging sign as negotiations between the parties intensify.
"(The financial situation) would have to come into it -- we need to understand where they are going with the stadium, what is the next step?" Roberts told the AP of Carlsberg's strategy. "(The ownership situation) is a distraction, the best thing is they seem to have resolved the internal issues and they are going to take the next step. If it's done in the right way and they take the next step then absolutely.
"The ownership issue is also about the stadium and the financial setup. The stadium is a big step of their progression in the future and we want to be part of that."
Asked by the AP about a possible new deal with Carlsberg, Hicks restricted his comment on Thursday to: "They have been a great partner for many years."
Naming rights have been on the owners' agenda since they bought the club in 2007, with Gillett saying the windfall could subsidize buying one top player every year.
Separately on Thursday, manager Rafa Benitez complained about the cost of strengthening his squad.
"The price of the players is unbelievable now," Benitez told CNN. "It's very difficult for me to pay 80 million (pounds), 100 million or 50 million, because if the player leaves, you lose all your money."
In 2004, Arsenal negotiated a 15-year naming rights deal for its new stadium with Dubai-based airline Emirates worth more than 100 million pounds. That included an eight-year shirt sponsorship agreement.
Roberts said Carlsberg has been encouraged by the fact Benitez's team is now a credible Premier League challenger, despite Manchester United being a point from defending its title.
"We've started the discussions with them. Since 1991 we've been there so it's a long term, very strong partnership and we are keen to continue it," Roberts said. "It does some good things for us in the UK and the performance levels are higher now so there's a bit more demand from people going to the games."
Roberts said Liverpool's strong fan base in Asia is an important factor driving Carlsberg's interest in extending the partnership.
The deal will be more complex than the 1991 terms, with the brewer potentially offering more services to the club as part of the financial package.
"There are certain things that are absolutely necessary for a beer company to go and sell its products in the likes of Asia and we will make sure that's in the contract," Roberts said. "There may be elements of the contract that we don't need.
"What you had 18 years ago is not necessarily what you need now. We are keen to keep the relationship going on the same level that it is now, but there may be creativeness in the way that structure is pulled together."
