Belgium: BNP Paribas Fortis terminates its partnership with RSC Anderlecht after 39 years

BNP Paribas Fortis, the Belgian bank of the BNP Paribas Group, will terminate its partnership with Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht (Jupiler Pro League) at the end of 2019-20, one season before the initial agreement was due to expire (2020-21), announced the two parties on 04/05/2020.

BNP Paribas Fortis, partner and main shirt sponsor of RSC Anderlecht for 39 seasons (1981), is paying the club €2.4m in 2019-20. At the height of their partnership, the Brussels club received €4m per season from the bank. Proximus (telecoms, title partner of the Belgian second division) chose not to extend its sponsorship contracts with the Belgian clubs RSC Charleroi, FC Brugge and RSC Anderlecht on 22/04/2020.

"We have known for some time that BNP Paribas Fortis wanted to reassess our partnership. Partly in the interest of the club, we decided together to make it completely clear, so that RSC Anderlecht had the opportunity to find other partners. There are now other opportunities for the club. The discussions with the new partners are in the final phase," said Karel Van Eetvelt, CEO of RSC Anderlecht…