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Beckham splits with sponsor
07/07/2007 22:22 - (SA)
Boston, Massachusetts - England football star David Beckham has split from sponsor Gillette just ahead of his American debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
Beckham has had a three-year endorsement agreement with Gillette but the Proctor and Gamble company brand of grooming products split with Beckham, company spokesperson Michael Norton told the Boston Herald.
Beckham's demands for control over his image reportedly doomed talks of extending the deal, although Norton would say only the contract was ended by "mutual agreement."
Next Friday, Beckham will be introduced as a member of the Galaxy after ending his career at Real Madrid.
His five-year contract with the Galaxy is worth up to $250m, but only $27m comes from playing. The remainder is from other deals, some of which revolve around the 32-year-old playmaker keeping control of his image and likeness.
The MLS will try to create "Beckham-mania" in US cities, having already used the promise of tickets to a Beckham visit in every MLS city this year to sell tickets to other matches and help lure sponsorship dollars to every club.
ESPN, telecasters of the US league, will have a camera following Beckham's every move in two weeks when Los Angeles will play Chelsea in what is expected to be Beckham's first Galaxy match.
- AFP
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