After 18 successful years, the partnership between DEKRA and Germany’s football federation, the DFB, is coming to an end. The agreement will expire on June 30, 2021. The international expert organization has been a DFB referee partner since 2003.
In 2003, DEKRA teamed up with the DFB to develop the “official partner of DFB referees” sponsorship platform. Lengthy talks were held to discuss a potential extension. However, both parties have not found sufficient grounds to continue the partnership.
As the partnership wraps up, this also symbolizes a new chapter for the expert organization: “Today, almost 100 years after its founding, DEKRA is the global partner for a safe world. This means adopting an increasingly international outlook and consistently focusing on the challenges of digital transformation,” says DEKRA CEO Stefan Kölbl. These strategic priorities are going to play an even more significant role in the future in terms of brand management, especially regarding sponsorships.
“Our logo on the referees’ uniforms has been the symbol of a long-standing sponsorship based on a set of common values that is unparalleled in the world of sports: our shared attributes of independence, expertise, team spirit, and integrity,” explains Stephan Heigl, Executive Vice-President for Communications and Brand Management at DEKRA. “Going forward, we want to give our continued best wishes to the DFB referees and hope they enjoy every success in the matches they officiate.”
