Worthington to end Cup sponsorship

The Football League was dealt a massive new blow today after it emerged Worthington is to end its sponsorship of the League's top cup competition.

With the League plunged into football's biggest crisis as a result of ITV Digital's decision to renege on its £315million television contract, the beer brand's decision could not come at a worse time.

But Worthington's new owners Coors Brewers has decided not to renew the £23m five-year deal when it expires after next season's Worthington Cup Final, today's Marketing magazine reports.

Standard Sport has learned however, that the League might be prepared to buy Coors out of the last year of the deal if it can find a new sponsor quickly.

League spokesman John Nagle said: "They [Coors] have decided to move into other areas.

"They have a five-year deal which is coming to an end and after that they will move on. They feel that the impact of the sponsorship has reached its limit.

"We have already had interest from other companies and when we start talking to them we will point to the success Worthington have enjoyed through the association."

AXA, who was recently pipped by League sponsor Nationwide in the race to become the FA's financial services partner, is already being linked to sponsorship of the Worthington Cup.

But with so much uncertainty surrounding the future of the League's TV rights, sponsors will wait to find out where games will be televised before committing themselves.

The League is currently in the middle of a dispute with broadcast partners ITV Digital over the payment of the £178m it is owed as part of its three year agreement.

Nagle added however: "This decision by Coors has got absolutely nothing to do with the ITV Digital situation. They've been thinking about it since they bought the Worthington brand around Christmas time."

The loss of the Worthington deal is a further blow to the League's cup competition which has been undermined in recent years by Premiership clubs fielding weakened sides in matches. However, viewing figures for this year's final on ITV were at an all-time high, comparing favourably with last year's FA Cup Final.

The League wants to invite Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic to join the contest from next season in an effort to spice it up. In the last 20 years the competition has also been sponsored by Littlewoods, Coca-Cola and the Milk Marketing Board.

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