The reality of turning the soccer shirt into a true outdoor begins to be no longer exclusive to teams. Federations have noticed a space in recent years to also profit from selling sponsorships in the uniforms of arbitration.
With values that start at $ 500,000 per month and reach up to $ 1 million, the monetization of men in the whistle has been increasingly common in Brazil, but also in South America.
No Paulista Championshipwhich had its decision between Corinthians and Palmeiras in the Neo Chemistry Arena, advertising in the uniforms of the referees had brands as Smart Fit, Hypercap e Unisa. In this case, even the VAR cabin received space for commercial activations with the presence of BIS.
One of the main intermediaries of these contracts is Wolff Sports, whose managing partner Fábio Wolff highlights the impact of this type of exposure.
“Arbitration has great evidence during the game, especially with the creation of VAR. This makes the uniforms of judges attractive to brands who want to invest in sports advertising,” said the expert.
Last year, five distinct companies had their logos stamped in the referees uniforms, including Quartzolit, Brasilit, Plaza, FutFanatics, OdontoCompany e Sweat.
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The Mineiro Championship also follows this trend, with Garden, 7K, Senate ses e Uniube appearing on the judges’ shirt. In this case, the business was done by Heatmap, which has Renê Salvian as CEO.
“The repercussion of these images in sports programs and social networks enhance the impact of brands. Our work is to enable partnerships that generate results for all parties involved,” said Salviano.
Nationwide, Brasileirão made a partnership with the Italian brand Macron To provide the uniform to its referees since 2023, which puts the national alongside the main European competitions. The company replaced the Kappa in agreement that valued the CBF.
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In the Copa Libertadores, the TCL He invested in a millionaire sponsorship, ensuring his presence not only in plates and billboards, but also in the referees’ uniforms. Previously, the Bridgestone and DHL They have also been occupying these spaces.
But should the authority that makes the rules of the game be fulfilled to receive sponsorship? And the possible conflicts of interest involving judge and teams being sponsored by the same companies?
This is not a concern by Reginaldo Diniz, CEO of End To End, an agency that brings sports marketing solutions. “Referees are part of the show and companies have realized that they can connect to the public through them, without interfering with the perception of judges’ performance.”
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For Ivan Martinho, professor of sports marketing at ESPM, this concern also does not exist and he still points out that the market can evolve.
“Today, arbitration is seen as an advertising space, but brands could go further, creating stories that connect the whistle professionals to the fan in a more authentic way,” he concludes.
