Adidas has decided to put an end to its long-standing relationship with Olympique de Marseille, an emblematic French football club. This comes after the club was sold last year by the widow of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former shareholder and chief executive of Adidas, to an American businessman, Frank McCourt. The company told Footpack that it would no longer outfit OM from the 2017/18 season. Adidas states that it has worked with the club's new management for several months to renew their contract but had to acknowledge that the two parties would not be able to reach an agreement, in spite of what Adidas described as dynamic and ambitious offers. Some French newspapers referred to the escalation in endorsement deals paid by Adidas and Nike in the last years, which may have influenced the discussions. Adidas and OM have been partners almost without interruption for the last forty years, and the Marseille players were clad in three stripes when they won their European trophy in 1993. French newspapers have mentioned Puma, New Balance and Under Armour as potentially interested parties. OM's current kit deal is thought to be the second-largest in France after Nike's partnership with PSG.

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