LG ends sponsorship deal with Australian cricketer David Warner
LG is the first sponsor to sever ties with Australia’s embattled cricket team, ending its sponsorship deal with David Warner.
LG has said it will not continue its sponsorship of the opening batsman and former vice-captain, who served as a brand ambassador for the electronics company.
The decision comes days after members of the Australian cricket team admitted they had tampered with the ball in the third Test against South Africa, with media reports claiming Warner has been indicated as the key driver behind the plot.
A statement from LG said: "LG’s current sponsorship of David Warner is in the final weeks, and in light of recent events, we have decided not to renew our partnership.
"LG Australia will always look to work with ambassadors that share our core brand values and we take these relationships incredibly seriously to ensure we put our customers, employees and stakeholders first.”
Warner had been an LG ambassador since 2014. He also currently holds sponsorship deals with Asics, Channel Nine, Gray-Nicholls and Toyota.
Cricket Australia’s other sponsors, which include KFC, XXXX Gold, Bupa, Qantas, Gillette and Toyota, have said they would wait for the results of Cricket Australia’s investigation before deciding whether to alter any commercial deals.
Sanitarium, which sponsors former Australian team captain Steve Smith, told The Drum it was expecting an update from Cricket Australia today.
“We are interested in the detail of their investigation and the actions Cricket Australia will take on this matter.
“Like the rest of Australia, we have been incredibly disappointed by the actions taken by Steve Smith and the team over the weekend in South Africa.”
Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft are due to return to Australia today.