The strange case of Sunderland and its two sponsors

A few days ago, the official announcement came that Sunderland will change its technical sponsor for the next season, switching from Nike to Hummel. A return for the Danish brand, which had already accompanied the English club in its first experience in the Premier League in 1992 and continues to have a reserved place in the hearts of the Black Cats fans. So, on the occasion of the last home game against West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland presented itself at The Hawthorns wearing an Anthem Jacket made by Hummel. A reissue of a historic model, the one worn before the kick-off of the 1992 FA Cup Final, one of the most glorious moments in the history of the red and white club. And as expected, the sight of Jobe Bellingham crossing the tunnel with a piece of the club's history immediately sent both the fans' imagination and the Sunderland store servers into a frenzy, as soon as it became available and immediately sold out.

A very special way chosen by Hummel and Sunderland to announce the start of the new agreement, which will be one of the most important in the club's history. It will have an initial duration of five years and should be worth several million pounds, a significant amount for a Championship team. The partnership marks a crucial moment for the club, combining tradition and innovation to provide custom-made kits for the men's and women's teams and the Sunderland academies. But above all, it is a reason for excitement for the Black Cats fans, who in recent seasons have had little to celebrate as shown by the documentary series Sunderland 'Til I Die, perhaps the most successful among all the serial products dedicated to a football team. Of course, such an aggressive move by Sunderland, which has already put on sale and made its players wear clothing from the new technical sponsor, highlights that the relationship with Nike must not have been the most rosy and legal action by the Swoosh cannot be ruled out. After all, seeing a team wearing two different technical sponsors during the same game is not something that happens frequently in modern football.