Valencia have reportedly seen their shirt sponsor CAZOO walk away from their contract after the racist incident involving Vinicius at their stadium. The Real Madrid player was racially abused by some Valencia fans during a La Liga match at the Mestalla in May.
The episode had serious repercussions for Spanish football, exposing its shortcomings in fighting racism.
As a result of the incident, some sections of the Mestalla were shut down—although Valencia appealed; LALIGA sought more authority from the court to combat racism; and the RFEF launched an anti-racism campaign. Spain and Brazil also joined forces on a campaign.
The incident also drew global attention, with FIFA appointing Vinicius as the leader of a committee of players to tackle racism.
And now, it has emerged that Valencia’s shirt sponsor CAZOO reportedly used the racist episode against Vinicius at the Mestalla as an excuse to end their deal with the club.
According to Relevo, the company had previously attempted to break their two-year agreement with the club, which was worth €4 million per year.
They signed the deal in 2022 and wanted to quit after one season, due to internal changes in the company.
Valencia reportedly rejected their request, demanding full payment if CAZOO tried to breach the contract. The club won the legal dispute, per the report, but things changed after the Vinicius issue.
After that, the car retailing company reportedly told the club that the racist incident violated one of their contract clauses, as they did not want to be linked with it.
This allegedly forced Valencia to negotiate, making them agree to terminate the contract for €1 million.
