PARIS, Feb 22, 2008 (AFP) — US sportswear giant Nike has won the contract to supply the France international football team from 2011-18 at a cost of 42.6 million euros a year, the French football federation announced Friday.
Nike fought off competition from Adidas, the German sportswear manufacturers who have supplied the team since 1972, and Airness, a smaller French company, to win the bidding process.
Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said money had talked as the proposals by both Nike and Adidas had been very similar in quality.
"It's the financial aspect that made the difference," Escalettes said.
"I had neither the moral nor legal capacity to take any other decision."
Escalettes revealed that the seven-and-a-half season contract was worth 320 million euros, a massive four-and-a-half times that of the existing contract.
Nike, one of the world's largest manufacturer of athletic shoes which also supplies the likes of Spanish giants Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United, threw in a seasonal kit donation for all French national teams worth 2.5 million euros a year.
There remain two tournaments in which France will compete wearing Adidas kit, the Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, the latter reliant on the French side ensuring their qualification.
Adidas currently pays 10 million euros a year under its present contract, which started in 2004.
Nike's investment not only far exceeds that but also the 13 million euros a season it currently pays to supply Brazil's national kit, and a similar amount dished out by Puma for the right to supply reigning world champions Italy.
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