It is best to begin with the stark facts.
According to data from the Carbon Disclosure Project, a leading environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO), the 25 largest fossil fuel companies in the world have contributed 51 per cent of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.
Research by The Athletic can now reveal that 16 of these companies have been actively involved in the sponsorship or ownership of football clubs and competitions within the past two years, including eight of the largest 10 in the world.
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Several more companies have also been involved in the sport more indirectly. Oil company profits have soared this year as a consequence of Western sanctions on Russian energy after the invasion of Ukraine.
The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, begins in Egypt on Sunday, looking for international solutions to tackle the climate crisis. The target of limiting temperature rise to less than two degrees above pre-industrial levels necessitates a cut in greenhouse gas emissions.
However, football is implicated in these companies’ continued profiteering. The sport wields immense soft power, with its related advertisements seen by millions around the world, becoming a de facto part of football culture.
Football has previously cut ties with sponsors that threaten human health. Tobacco and alcohol companies are no longer allowed to be shirt sponsors in the English game, while betting companies are subject to increased regulation.
Fossil fuels could be next, according to Frank Huisingh, who runs FossilFreeFootball, a campaign group aiming to eradicate climate polluters from football.
“When campaigners explained convincingly how bad tobacco is for everyone’s health, and how ironic it was that it was promoted through football, that helped convince regulatory bodies to ban tobacco ads,” Huisingh explains.
“We know that fossil fuel consumption is really bad for the planet. One way to lower demand is to ban the ads. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to keep advertising things that are bad for us.
“I hope football clubs will speak up, and no longer accept these companies as sponsors. That will put pressure on regulators and maybe subsequently on football associations.”
In October, Australia cricket captain Pat Cummins courted attention for refusing to work with sponsors Alinta Energy due to his own environmental campaigning.
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Several footballers have previously distanced themselves from sponsors with whom they have an ethical disagreement, such as Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba, who moved a Heineken beer bottle at a European Championship media conference last year due to his being Muslim and that religion’s ban on alcohol. A day earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo said “agua” (“water” in his native Portuguese), presumably suggesting it as an alternative refreshment, as he removed two Coca-Cola bottles in a similar situation.
“Many people look at football to see how norms are changing in the world — when it comes to women’s rights, when it comes to racism, when it comes to LGBT+ rights,” adds Huisingh. “We look at football and expect it to be a little behind the average. But when football moves, we’re all going to move.
“So I think that’s why it’s so important to put pressure on football, to make sure that they’re not behind this time.”
Football’s involvement with fossil fuels is more extensive than the 25 companies outlined in The Athletic’s research.
Several Premier League clubs boast sponsors which contribute significantly to global emissions, including airlines, fossil-fuel funding banks, and cryptocurrency companies.
However, it is hoped that the information presented below, outlining the sporting involvement of the world’s 25 largest fossil fuel companies, can contribute to a much-needed conversation.
The largest fossil fuel company in the world, which owns the rights to over 3.7 billion barrels of oil-equivalent, CNPC is not directly involved in football.
However, it did sponsor the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, which included men’s and women’s football tournaments, and the 2022 Winter Olympics hosted by the same Chinese city.
Like CNPC, Sinopec has no direct involvement in professional football, but has sponsored amateur tournaments in Ecuador, where it operates several oil and gas operations in the Amazon rainforest, and fellow South American nation Argentina.
It also sponsored the 2008 and 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
Like numerous companies on this list, its predominant sporting investment was in Formula 1, where it was a long-time sponsor of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Aramco is particularly aggressive in its sponsorship strategy, and is a leading partner of Formula 1, with its brand found on hoardings at the majority of that sport’s racetracks.
It is also closely tied with football. Newcastle United’s new chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is not only the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — the country’s sovereign wealth fund — but is also chair of Aramco, the state-owned petroleum company.
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He joined the Aramco board as part of an attempt to foster closer relations between Aramco and PIF.
The oil company is PIF’s largest holding by value, having acquired an extra four per cent stake worth $80billion in February.
Exxon is predominantly associated with the Red Bull racing team, which won Formula 1’s 2022 constructors’ championship last month, and also partners with the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Houston Rockets in elite basketball’s NBA.
However, it has worked with star Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah on a number of adverts too, with the Egypt forward and captain rapping as part of an ad for the company in his home country two years ago.
Exxon has also heavily invested in amateur football schemes in Guyana, the South American nation where it is the largest oil producer, and is still aggressively expanding operations.
One of the most recognisable names on this list, partly due to its lucrative sponsorship deal with the Ferrari F1 team.
Last month, Shell reported its second-highest quarterly profit on record, while British Cycling courted controversy after signing an eight-year sponsorship deal with the firm, despite setting their own net-zero target.
The company has been heavily involved with football in the recent past, though it currently has no active deals. It was an official partner of the Chinese Super League between 2017-20, and sponsored Saudi Arabia and Egypt at the World Cup in Russia four years ago.
Shell also heavily invested in Qatari football at the start of the last decade.
The French giant is heavily involved in football, led by its title partnership with CAF (African football’s governing body).
That organisation’s flagship tournament, its equivalent of the European Championship and Copa America, is officially named ‘Total’s Africa Cup of Nations’. Total is active in 44 countries across Africa, representing 30 per cent of its business.
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Total is also a sponsor of Brazilian club Flamengo, who won the Copa Libertadores, South America’s version of the Champions League, last weekend, and Mexican top-flight team Club America. It previously sponsored the Copa Sudamericana, the South American equivalent of the Europa League. Outside of football, it is a principal partner of the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup.
This American company is the “official energy partner” of Los Angeles-based MLS club LAFC, who are owned by a consortium which includes actor Will Ferrell, boast Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini among their squad and could be crowned the league champions for the first time by beating Philadelphia Union in the title decider this weekend.
The club’s principal owner, Larry Berg, is a leading partner at Apollo Global Management, an investment company which has a $5.5billion deal with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
BP is the sole owner of several subsidiary companies, with one of the most recognisable of these being Castrol, which specialises in oil lubricants. Castrol has previously sponsored the World Cup and European Championship, and since January 2022 has launched a partnership with the Premier League.
It sponsors the Premier League Golden Awards programme, featuring the Golden Boot for each season’s top goalscorer, Playmaker Award and Golden Glove honouring the top goalkeeper.
Several other organisations have ended their relationship with BP due to the company’s environmental record, such as the National Portrait Gallery in London and the 2020 Paralympics coverage on UK TV’s Channel 4.
The Athletic asked the Premier League about its relationship with Castrol.
It responded by saying: “The Premier League recognises the need to take action on climate change and is committed to reducing its overall climate impact. In November 2021, the league joined forces with other leading sports organisations by signing up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. This includes aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.”
The Premier League also noted the partnership was intended to promote Castrol’s range of electric vehicle fluids.
One of the most recognisable names on this list, due to its long association with UEFA. The largest company in Russia by revenue, Gazprom sponsored the Champions League for 10 years until 2022.
The deal was renewed in 2021, but UEFA ended the partnership after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
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It also sponsored German Bundesliga club Schalke between 2007 and 2022, while it bought the naming rights to Saint Petersburg’s main stadium, which hosted several high-profile matches at the 2018 World Cup, and was slated to host last season’s Champions League final until the invasion of Ukraine brought sanctions.
The company which made former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s wealth, the oil firm Sibneft, became a subsidiary of Gazprom in 2005.
Another Russian oil giant, Lukoil has pursued ownership rather than sponsorship. It is the sole owner of Spartak Moscow, the most successful club in Russia, which it bought in August.
Its name has also appeared on Spartak’s shirt since 2000.
The third of Russia’s three giant oil companies, all of which came to prominence in the years immediately after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Rosneft is also involved in Russian football.
It is the title sponsor of Siberian club FC Tom Tomsk. The club do not currently have a playing license after financial difficulties.
Not involved in football sponsorship directly, though it does sponsor the Big Ten Conference in college sport in the United States.
Like Marathon, it sponsors college sports rather than football, where it is the title sponsor of the Pac-12 American Football Championship Game in the US.
A third consecutive American company on the list and, like the other two, it is not involved in football. It does sponsor the Valero Texas Open in golf, and Alamo Bowl in college American football.
This petroleum company is owned by giant Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries — the largest firm in the country based on revenue.
Its influence on sport is widespread, including sponsoring cricket’s all-star Indian Premier League and India’s Olympic team.
However, Reliance also operates the Indian Super League — the country’s top-tier football competition — through another subsidiary, Football Sports Development Limited.
The other major Indian fossil fuel company, the Indian Oil Corporation sponsors the Durand Cup, India’s equivalent of the FA Cup.
It also partners with the ATP men’s tennis tour.
A petroleum and metals conglomerate, this Japanese firm sponsor current Italian champions AC Milan. It also partnered with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Staying in Italy, Eni — which is 30 per cent owned by the Italian government — is an official partner of the national football federation. The two have worked together since 2016, with the latest deal set to expire at the end of thia year.
Norwegian state-owned oil company Equinor, which recorded record profits last month, is not currently involved in football sponsorship, though it was previously a long-term partner of the Norway women’s national team.
It is surprising that the state-owned oil company in the most football-mad country in the world does not have any direct links with clubs or competitions.
However, it does have several ties with Rio de Janeiro club and new South American champions Flamengo, sponsoring their shirts between 1984 and 2009. It also sponsored Brazil’s Serie A between 2009 and 2012.
More recently, Brazil’s ex-president Jair Bolsonaro nominated Flamengo chief Rodolfo Landim for the presidency of the oil company too, which he surprisingly rejected after the club lost the Rio state championship final.
Another company with no direct links to football, though it has explored sponsorship within Formula 1.
The sixth American corporation on this list, Energy Transfer Partners’ subsidiary Sunoco has sponsored Philadelphia Union, who play in the MLS Cup final this weekend, since 2017. Sunoco’s refinery in Philadelphia is the largest facility of its kind on the US east coast.
Energy Transfer Partners are also a partner of the New Orleans Saints NFL team.
Spanish company Repsol, perhaps most recognisable as a partner of Honda in MotoGP elite motorcycle racing, is a partner of Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.
It is also closely aligned with the Brazilian company Petrobras (see No 20).
Idemitsu Kosan are involved in football only indirectly. It is part-owned by Aramco, which holds a 7.65 per cent stake in the Japanese firm.
Aramco, as described earlier, is run by Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
The final company in the top 25, Petronas does not invest in football, but is linked closely with Formula 1 team Mercedes, operating as its title sponsor.
This only scratches the surface of football’s involvement with the fossil fuel industry.
For example, clubs pursue lucrative sponsorship deals with airlines, which contribute tonnes of carbon dioxide to global emissions, and with banks that continue to finance fossil fuel companies.
Other fossil fuel firms — such as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, where Manchester City owner Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan sits on the board — fall outside the top 25 companies explored in this article.
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Football is uniquely positioned to offer significant cultural capital to the fossil fuel industry. A sport played in every corner of the globe, advertising an industry pursued in every corner of the globe.
Due to the vast amounts of space and money involved in each, it is scarcely surprising that regulation has barely begun. The slow eradication of tobacco and alcohol sponsorship does, however, provide evidence that the wheels could start to turn.
(Graphic designed by Eamonn Dalton)
