UAF Marketing CEO Artemis Ryabovs spoke about the renewal of cooperation with Adidas.
Artemijs Ryabovs. Photo: D. Balashov- UAF and Adidas are working together again. We saw the national team in the matches of the League of Nations in an updated uniform. What was behind it?
- It was an interesting and challenging job. After his election as UAF president, Andriy Shevchenko and I went to Germany for talks with Adidas CEO Björn Goodell. At that meeting, it was decided in principle that Adidas would return to Ukrainian football. Andriy Mykolayovych explained to Bjorn why this was necessary. We were convinced that the UAF and adidas could form a high-quality partnership by attracting a global brand that would help us develop all of Ukrainian football.
- For how long has the agreement been signed?
- For six years. But the most important thing is not even this, but the fact that adidas made it clear that the signed 6-year contract is not only about equipment. This includes the construction of infrastructure for children's and youth football, the creation of a unique line of clothing for women's teams (previously women played in men's teams), a training line, and many social initiatives with the UAF Foundation.
- Is it true that the UAF President Andriy Shevchenko has a personal contract with Adidas and will receive certain preferences from this agreement?
- Andriy Mykolayovych does not have and has never had a personal contract with Adidas. I knew Björn personally from my time at PUMA and told him that Andriy Shevchenko had become the president of the UAF and there was an opportunity to discuss joint cooperation. That's how it all started.
- Many questions arose as to why the national team is already playing in adidas, while the rest are still wearing Joma? Is this about missmanagement?
- When I came to work for the UAF, I was faced with the fact that I had six months left in my contract with Joma. For your understanding, there are more than 20 different national teams in the UAF orbit. In such a short period of time, it is unrealistic to change all the national teams into the same uniform and formalize a legal partnership. We are talking not only about game kits, but also about training, everyday and ceremonial, as well as other elements of the national teams' football life. I can cite the example of the German national team, when cooperation with a new technical sponsor was announced three years before the start of the contract. That is, the transition period that we are now carrying out in a few months will take the Germans three years.
We have decided to launch a full-fledged work with the national team and gradually work with others. This is a joint decision with our partner. It takes a lot of time to implement everything. We wanted to make a loud statement about the return of adidas and we succeeded. All adidas stores in Ukraine now feature the Ukrainian national team and our players. It will only get better. Next year, everyone will be able to see the interim results of our partnership.
- Will we have an exclusive Adidas uniform in the next cycle?
- Definitely not before the qualifiers. The Ukrainian national team will receive exclusive uniforms from Adidas in the fall of 2025. In order to change all national teams, 20 thousand pieces of clothing are needed.
They won't be able to do it that quickly. Adidas partners have the opportunity to give limited teams the option to create a unique design. To have their own identity, references to various symbols, history and exclusive style. It doesn't always depend on us. There is the desire of the UAF, but there are global deadlines of adidas. We can't dictate our own terms and conditions and have to compromise somewhere.
- Didn't the old UAF team have any developments on this issue?
- I definitely can't be responsible for them. I took over UAF Marketing in the state it was in at the beginning of the year.
Oleksandr Karpenko
