“PUMA has built up a strong momentum in women’s soccer over the past 10 years collaborating closely with pioneering partners that have redefined the game on a global and local stage. Today, we are proud to be one of the founding partners of Women’s Professional Soccer in what promises to be a new pioneering chapter for women’s soccer,” said PUMA Chairman & CEO Jochen Zeitz. “The WPS partnership provides PUMA with a perfect platform to reinforce the brand’s positioning as the most desirable sportlifestyle brand in the world as well as underline our continued commitment to women’s sports.”

With the WPS partnership, PUMA further underlines its commitment to women’s soccer where it already has long-term partnerships with the likes of two-time FIFA™ World Player of the Year Marta da Silva of Brazil, who was drafted by the WPS Los Angeles Sol, U.S. National Team star Leslie Osborne, who will be playing for WPS in the Bay Area, and several Club teams in Europe including Swedish champion’s Umea IK, UEFA Women’s Cup Champions in 2003 and 2004.

“To have PUMA, the world’s leading sportlifestyle brand, as a founding partner in Women’s Professional Soccer is a great endorsement for our league,” said Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “We are proud to have PUMA’s commitment to support, supply and grow the league and we recognize the creative, stylish and unique ways PUMA will promote WPS and women’s soccer on the whole.”

PUMA will have a presence in each market and stadiums for WPS games, as well as the WPS All-Star Game, WPS playoffs and WPS Championship game. PUMA and WPS have agreed to cross-promotional marketing opportunities via national print media, online media and television. This agreement also marks PUMA as an official licensee of the WPS for items including on field and sportlifestyle apparel, footwear and a wide variety of accessories.

PUMA is a leader in the game of soccer with a European portfolio of five National Teams, including current FIFA World Cup™ holders Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic. In addition to being the official supplier to these European teams, PUMA has a long standing relationship with 11 African soccer Federations including the current CAF African Cup of Nations™ holders, Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Namibia. In the U.S., PUMA has worked with all-star Major League Soccer athletes such as Matt Reis, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario.

The joint initiative aims at raising awareness for PEACE ONE DAY and the necessity of peaceful cohabitation. adidas and PUMA will also take the message and idea of PEACE ONE DAY into the football stadiums in Munich and Stuttgart through surprise highlights during the halftimes of the German premier league games FC Bayern München – 1. FC Nürnber and VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Köln on 19 September.

„We at adidas are very proud to support PEACE ONE DAY together with PUMA.
We firmly believe that sport can bring the world together. Sport has shown this at countless occasions in the past and we are committed to the positive values found in sport: performance and passion, teamwork and fair play,” said Herbert Hainer, CEO of adidas AG. “I am looking very much forward to our adidas and PUMA football match and I hope that our joint initiative helps to raise further awareness for PEACE ONE DAY around the world.”

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA, said: „We are uniting on this day as a commitment to Peace Day. Our common goal being that our collaboration today will help create awareness for the day. Kofi Annan once said that ‘individuals can make a difference and collectively we can make a major contribution’. I believe that is the case also for companies. And our unity, in support of Peace Day, is a small step in a positive direction as well as an expression of the united power of sport in a world which we are all responsible for.”

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called “Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik” where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Both teams, which were made up of 40 employees of both competitors as well as a few local journalists, demonstrated their support for PEACE ONE DAY on the premises of the adidas headquarters and proved that sport can help overcome boundaries and promote a peaceful cohabitation.

„Our joint football match in support of PEACE ONE DAY and Global Peace Day was a unique experience for the participating players and our employees. It showed that everyone – and companies as well – can make their contribution to peace,” said the two Chief Executives Jochen Zeitz and Herbert Hainer. “The symbolic handshake of adidas and PUMA helped to raise awareness for Global Peace Day and the necessity for non-violence and ceasefire.”

Particularly for this memorable football game, adidas and PUMA had created a football kit in black and white that sported adidas’ three stipe logo as well as PUMA’s leaping cat. The kit is part of a limited collection of 80 pieces, that will be auctioned for PEACE ONE DAY.

Football celebrity Alexander Hleb, player of German premier league club VfB Stuttgart and captain of the Belarus national team, supported the initiative by signing autographs and giving PEACE ONE DAY footballs to the fans onsite.

Following the match adidas and PUMA employees went together to PUMA’s Brand Center in Nuremberg to watch the movie „The Day after Peace“ by British actor and director Jeremy Gilley.

Last weekend, both companies had already taken the message and idea of PEACE ONE DAY into the football stadiums of Munich and Stuttgart. During the halftimes of the German premier league games FC Bayern Munich – 1. FC Nuremberg and VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Cologne adidas and PUMA employees took part in a penalty shoot out with former premier league goalkeeper Walter Junghans and shared PEACE ONE DAY balls with the fans.

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called “Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik” where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) is a global initiative launched by the United Nations for 2010 to help raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity and to encourage worldwide action to conserve plants and animals and the environments in which they live. The ‘Play for Life’ campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet’s 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa.

The ‘Play for Life’ campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet’s 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa.

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), biodiversity is under threat around the planet – we are creating the greatest extinction crisis since the natural disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Species have been disappearing at up to 1,000 times the natural rate, and this is predicted to rise dramatically. Based on current trends, an estimated 34,000 plant and 5,200 animal species – including one in eight of the world’s bird species – face extinction.

At their ‘Play for Life’ press conference held today in Nairobi, Kenya, PUMA unveiled their key fundraising lever, the revolutionary new Africa Unity Kit –the world’s first ‘continental football kit’ designed to be worn by the 12 African football national teams that PUMA sponsors. These include the World Cup qualified teams Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Algeria who are headed to the Africa Cup of Nations’ with hosts Angola and the national teams of Egypt, Mozambique, Togo and Tunisia, as well as non-qualified federations of Senegal, Morocco and Namibia. Puma also sponsors some of the continent’s best players — Samuel Eto’o, Emmanuel Eboué and John Mensah.

The Africa Unity Kit has been approved by FIFA who have officially recognised it as the Official 3rd kit* to be worn by those PUMA-sponsored African teams.

With all eyes on Africa during the 2010 football season– the Africa Unity Kit makes a compelling global statement. By supporting the Africa Unity Kit, African teams are not only uniting as a powerful force in world football, but also raising awareness of the importance of environmental issues. PUMA’s profits from sales of the replica fanwear for the Unity Kits will help fund biodiversity programs in Africa, and in particular endangered species on the continent such as lions, elephants, gorillas and the desert fox.

The sportlifestyle company has a host of other gear designed to generate additional funds to support biodiversity, including PUMA Unity t-shirts and PUMA Lacelets, collectable shoe laces featuring patterns from world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley. These products all bear the PUMA Yellow “life” Label, which gives consumers an easy way to identify products that benefit projects supported by PUMAVision, PUMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program. A portion of the profits from the Yellow “life” label products will also go to fund the biodiversity programmes.

“In 2010, Africa will be at the centre of the footballing world. The ‘Play for Life’ campaign and the release of the Africa Unity Kit is a powerful statement for PUMA. PUMA is creating a unique kit embracing the diversity of African Nations teams while valuing the unity of players and supporters towards a common goal,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG who helped launch the Africa Unity Kit. “Biodiversity and therefore valuing and protecting all life on our planet is a huge issue, not only in Africa, but around the world – and we are proud to partner with UNEP to raise both awareness and funds through the sale of our Unity products.”

“As the whole planet comes together for the World Cup, 2010 marks the year when people around the world will unite to conserve the planet’s almost priceless natural resource – its biodiversity. UNEP is delighted to partner with PUMA to bring this important message to millions of fans,” said Angela Cropper, UNEP’s Deputy Executive Director, at the press conference today.

“The planet’s living organisms are the building blocks of the multi-trillion dollar services– from freshwater to agricultural nutrients–that underpin all life on Earth including its economic, social and sporting life. Bringing together the public’s global passion for football with its global passion for animals, plants and other life-forms surely makes a match-winning team,” she added.

Cameroon’s captain Samuel Eto’o, flanked by fellow squad members at the unveiling in Nairobi, commented: “The new Africa Unity Kit has inspired me and my teammates. Not only are we very proud to wear a shirt that helps bring the continent of Africa together but to do so for such an important cause is truly an honour. Supporting the Africa Unity Kit sends out a positive message for Africa – we are a uniting as a continent to help life and the planet.”

The UNEP-PUMA ‘Play for Life’ campaign will support the International Year of Biodiversity by:

• Raising awareness worldwide about biodiversity and the International Year of Biodiversity among football fans and the general public during football events including the African Nations Cup and international friendly games
• Raising awareness through Public Service Announcements featuring football stars
• Encouraging the public to take action to conserve biodiversity
• Raising funds through the Africa Unity Kit and other PUMA Unity football products under the Yellow “life” label to support biodiversity projects in Africa.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

*Football teams have standard home and away kits. The third kit is traditionally worn when both the home and away kits clash. PUMA has given a new twist to the third kit, by launching the Africa Unity Kit, creating the world’s first ‘continental’ kit. This third kit will be worn by PUMA-sponsored African teams in 2010 in matches yet to be finalized.

“We are very happy to announce the continuation of our partnership with the Cameroon Football Federation,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “During the fourteen years we have worked with them, their forward thinking has allowed us to undertake and execute several exciting and innovative projects that simply would not be possible with other federations. They are one of our key partners in World football, and we have some great ideas that we look forward to unveiling in the coming months and years.”

“PUMA is a key partner for us, and when the previous agreement concluded there was never any question that we wouldn’t re-sign with them,” said Iya Mohammed, President of the Cameroon Football Federation. “PUMA understands implicitly what we want to achieve, and it is a privilege to work with a company with the same values and ambition. We look forward to working with them for many years to follow.”

In addition to the Cameroon national team sponsorship, PUMA also sponsors individual Cameroon players including captain and record goalscorer striker Samuel Eto’o, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Stephane Mbia, Landry Nguemo and Mohammadou Idrissou.

In keeping with PUMA’s mission to be the most sustainable sportslifestyle brand, the Cameroon Football Federation will take a carbon neutral stance for the entirety of the partnership. Using UNEP’s carbon neutral standard, PUMA and the Cameroon Football Federation will offset the carbon footprint of the Federation through the next FIFA World Cups™.

PUMA’s commitment to Africa extends beyond team and player partnerships, as well. PUMA will continue to support a number of grass roots initiatives across the continent. Coinciding with this announcement, 10,000 durable footballs were delivered to Africa following a joint pledge in collaboration with Intersport® earlier this year, a third of which will go to football projects in Cameroon. PUMA was also the official sponsor and fanwear supplier of the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.

For more information about PUMA Football, please visit www.pumafootball.com.

The new PUMA South Africa kit was also launched in Johannesburg today, by South African captain Stephen Pienaar along with Siphiwe Tshabalala, Renielwe Letsholonyane, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Darren Keet and Katlego Mphela. Featuring the very latest innovations of PUMA technology, the kit incorporates performance enhancing fabric through moisture wicking properties, mesh inserts on the side for improved ventilation and embossed fabric to enhance the optical appearance. The shirt will also feature both the Protea and SAFA badges. In line with PUMA’s CSR commitment to Africa, all proceeds from replica home shirts sales will be donated to the SOS Children Villages in South Africa, a cause designated by the South African Football Association.

Christian Voigt, Senior Head of Global Sports Marketing at PUMA said “We are delighted to enter into this new partnership with the South African Football Association. PUMA has a longstanding commitment to Africa and African football, and this new relationship further underlines our continuing investment in the continent. In partnering with the South African Football Association, we are proud to have added another great asset to our sports marketing portfolio, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

Kirsten Nematandani, President of the South African Football Association said, “To announce this new commercial relationship with PUMA is a great privilege for us, and we are very happy to have secured this deal. PUMA’s presence in African football really speaks for itself, and they were the most desirable company for us to align ourselves with. Their technical innovation and excellence is of course important, but more so is the heritage and support they have demonstrated for this continent over a number of years. They are the perfect partner as we strive to grow the profile of football in South Africa in the years to come.”

South Africa will become the twelfth current African international team to be currently outfitted by PUMA, the German company is also supplying the Orange African Cup of Nations champions Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Algeria, Senegal, Morocco, Togo, Burkina Faso, Malawi and Namibia.

As part of the brand’s commitment to Africa, PUMA continues to support a number of grass roots and charitable initiatives across the continent. In 2010, the sportlifestyle brand launched the Africa Unity kit – the official FIFA sanctioned third kit of all PUMA sponsored African national football teams, with proceeds from global sales supporting biodiversity causes in Africa. Later the same year, 10,000 durable footballs were delivered to various football projects across a number of West African countries. PUMA was also the official sponsor and fanwear supplier of the 2010 Orange African Cup of Nations in Angola. In 2009, PUMA incorporated the use of sustainable cotton sources from Africa into its product ranges, supporting the Aid by Trade Foundation’s ‘Cotton Made in Africa’ initiative, developed to improve the living conditions of African cotton farmers and promote environmentally responsible farming practices.

PUMA is the sport-lifestyle brand with the longest heritage in motorsport, and its development of fire retardant technology has revolutionized driver racewear by dramatically reducing weight while maintaining the optimal performance of safety and comfort. PUMA will continue to supply Scuderia Ferrari with the latest technological innovations in team and racewear, enabling Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa to compete for the coveted Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in one of the lightest and safest race suits in Formula One.

Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman of Ferrari S.p.A., said: “We have enjoyed a very successful relationship with PUMA over the past six years, and we are very happy that this will continue long term. Their commitment to product design, development and racewear technology is unrivalled in the industry, and they continue to impress us on all counts. Clearly licensed apparel and footwear is a key business area for us, and it could not be in better hands. We look forward to continue working with PUMA for many years to come.”

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG, said: “We are delighted to continue and deepen our partnership with Ferrari. To extend a relationship with the most prestigious brand in the automotive industry and the most popular and successful team in Formula One is of great benefit to us both commercially and reputationally. The Ferrari licensed product development we have undertaken so far has been very successful, and the plans we have for the coming years are equally exciting. They are an ideal motorsport partner for us in every respect.”

The verdict was reached on 14 June 2011. This outcome is a direct consequence of PUMA’s successful appeal against the arbitration ruling, which previously required remittance of said funds to the former Spanish licensee and holder of the remaining rights Estudio 2000 S.A. to vest the remaining trademark rights in Spain.

“The ruling by the District Court of Madrid is totally in line with what we had anticipated and frees us from the payment of 98 million Euros for the vesting of PUMA trademark rights,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG. “We will now make full use of all the options available to us to secure all PUMA trademark rights in Spain.”

PUMA will continue its efforts in uniting all Spanish PUMA trademarks.

Today’s unveiling at the Design Museum in London, brought together high profile football players and CAN artists from each of the 10 PUMA partnered teams, including Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, John Mensah of Ghana and Yaya Touré of Ivory Coast. With the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations® fast approaching, the event was the perfect platform for PUMA to demonstrate how the brand has fused its work within sport and art, seamlessly bringing together two worlds that don’t often collide.

Central to the project is PUMA.Creative (a programme of PUMAVision), that brings together individual artists and organizations, and provides them with a platform for creative exchange and international exposure. Through PUMA.Creative’s CAN programme, artists were commissioned to design a football jersey inspired from the country’s heritage, culture and traditions. Ten artists worked with their home nation to create unique and inspiring designs for the official football kits.

“PUMA has been at the forefront of integrating the two disparate worlds of sport and art, and today through a celebration of football, art, colour and culture, we have shown to the world how these two spheres can be uniquely combined,” comments Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA SE. “PUMA has a long standing history with Africa, and this event demonstrates how as a brand we continue to be fully committed to our relationship with the continent.”

PUMA does indeed have a celebrated history with African football, each year bringing something new and different to the football category. Notable highlights include the African Unity Kit for the FIFA World Cup 2010 and the Cameroon Unikit in 2004. Art has also featured prominently in PUMA projects: to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2010, the brand commissioned contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley for a series of portraits with African football players and to design African-inspired lifestyle products.

The PUMA partnered African national teams represented include Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Gabon, Burkina Faso and PUMA’s newest partner South Africa, which signed with the sportlifestyle brand in June 2011. The technical kits have been designed to maximise the player’s on-pitch performance. The jersey fits the body closely to avoid grabbing from the opponent, it also emphasises the physique of the players, allowing them to exhibit their physical presence on the pitch. The fabric features PUMA’s U.S.P Moisture Management technology, enhancing body performance by dragging moisture away from the body, enhancing air flow and keeping the body at the ultimate performance temperature.

Terence Parris, Head of Teamsports Marketing at PUMA SE comments, “African football continues to play a huge part in our global sports marketing strategy. Over the past decade, we have progressively developed our relationship with Africa, investing in grassroots projects, player relationships and African federation partnerships. The emotion and passion of African football perfectly complements our brand ethos and we are uniquely privileged to be in a position to work with a continent with such rich culture and heritage. These football kits embody all of our brand values.”

PUMA has worked with the Design Museum in London to launch a month-long exhibition ‘Interpretations of Africa: Football, Art and Design’ to celebrate PUMA’s inspired new football kit designs for the 10 PUMA partnered African National football teams.

Through the African kits revealed today, ‘Interpretations of Africa: Football, Art and Design’ explores the response of the 10 artists from the Creative African Network, to a demanding brief, focused on Africa’s unique visual identity and culture. The exhibition charts the artists’ journey, inspiration, and design process, demonstrating howAfrica’s culture and history can be captured in both an artwork and a corresponding sportswear design.

The exhibition will feature original artwork and sketches alongside development work and the resulting final football kits created by the artists involved, including Barthélémy Toguo ofCameroon, Zineb Zedira ofAlgeriaand Godfried Donker ofGhanawho have all become renowned in the art world for their emotive and captivating work. The other artists representing their nations are: Saïdou Dicko ofBurkina Faso, Ernest Düku ofIvory Coast, Owanto of Gabon, Hentie van der Merwe ofNamibia, Samba Fall of Senegal, Hasan and Husain Essop ofSouth Africaand El Loko ofTogo.

Alex Newson, Exhibition Curator,DesignMuseum,Londonadds, “As a design challenge, creating a new national football kit is a complicated and demanding brief. The results of the collaboration between PUMA and the group of celebrated artists are remarkable and testament to the talent, pride and passion evident in both African art and football and this exhibition charts this unique journey.”

The exhibition is open for public viewing from November 8 – 27, 2011, 10.00am – 17.45pm.

Continuing with a partnership that started in 1998, PUMA will remain the official supplier of playing kits, training and representation apparel and equipment for all associated Swiss national teams, including the National A, Youth, Women’s and Futsal teams. PUMA will also extend its active partnerships of various SFV grass roots and youth initiatives, including the Credit Suisse Football Academies.

Today in Feusisberg, Switzerland, PUMA also unveiled the new home playing kit for the Swiss National Team. Part of the Power 12 range of PUMA kits that includes Italy, Uruguay, Czech Republic and Austria, the Switzerland kit is unique as it incorporates the Swiss flag on the shirt, shorts and socks, in addition to the SFV badge. Engineered mesh at the front of the shirt increases breathability and a technical fabric greatly improves moisture wicking tendencies.

Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA SE said, “We are delighted to extend and deepen our partnership with the Swiss Football Association. The SFV’s work and commitment to the development of football at all levels in Switzerland is very impressive, evidenced by both the Switzerland U17 team winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup last year and the U21 team reaching the final of the UEFA U21 Championship earlier this year. We are proud to be associated with SFV, as they strive to build on these successes in the coming years.”

Alex Miescher, General Secretary of SFV commented, “The SFV has enjoyed a highly successful partnership with PUMA over a 13 year period, and we are thrilled to announce the continuation of this relationship. PUMA’s proficiency in developing technical performance playing and training apparel is second to none, and their support in the development of our grass-roots and youth programmes has been instrumental. They are the perfect partner for the SFV in every respect, and we very happy to continue with them.”

In addition to the SFV, PUMA also partners with Swiss international players Johan Djourou, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Diego Benaglio and Xavier Margairaz.

Rinaldo Sagramola, Palermo Football Club CEO confimed the new agreement by saying, “We are proud to be entering into this partnership with PUMA, and look forward to working with them from the 2012/13 season in prospect. PUMA has such credibility in the development of high quality performance football apparel, and the sales and distribution of licensed products, this new partnership is one that will significantly benefit Palermo for years to come.”

PUMA currently partners with several International football federations including Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Uruguay, Chiles, South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria. The sportlifestyle brand also has a strong player portfolio in football that includes Gigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Samuel Eto’o, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero, Radamel Falcao, Yaya Toure,Thierry Henry, Nemanja Vidic, Mario Gomez and Marco Reus.

The new Palermo Club Football Kit will be launched by PUMA in advance of the 2012/13 football season.

Building on a successful nine year relationship, PUMA has significantly deepened its contractual involvement with the FIGC to place a global emphasis on expanding the profile and commercial potential of the FIGC brand driven by its newly established international sports licensing division. This evolution sees the FIGC partnership become the most comprehensive in the global PUMA football portfolio, and gives PUMA the scope to substantially increase its licensing opportunities that exist through one of the most prominent and successful federations in world football.

Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA said, “We have enjoyed a highly successful relationship with the FIGC over the past nine years, and as such we are delighted to have reached this new agreement and considerably expand our partnership with them. It underlines PUMA’s reinforced commitment to further strengthen its position as one of the top 3 football brands because the Italian National Team, more than any other national team property in world football, perfectly embodies PUMA’s unique Sportlifestyle positioning. Holding the Master License of the FIGC enables us to elevate our work with them to a truly global level; this is a new venture for PUMA, and one that we are fully confident will be successful.”

Today in Genoa, PUMA also launched the new Italy away kit. Part of the Power 12 range of PUMA playing kits that includes Uruguay, Chile, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Austria. The FIGC Italia Away shirt has a regular fit with a classic look, re-introducing the horizontal blue stripe for the first time since 1974 – a signature feature that stretches across the chest enhancing the breathable performance of the shirt. The V neck has a double layer in mesh fabric and contrast colour inside, while the underarm range of movement mesh allows both a better fit and a more comfortable arm movement. The deep cuffs in shell fabric add to the classic look of the shirt, and the number and lettering features the PUMA Gaffer font-type.

Giancarlo Abete, President of the FIGC commented, “PUMA has been a great partner for us, and we are very happy to not only continue but also deepen our relationship with them. Their licensing expertise, ideas and commitment to expanding the commercial potential of this partnership are impressive, and have led us to create this new contract. PUMA’s proficiency in design, marketing and global sales distribution is among the best in the industry, which gives us great confidence for the future.”

In addition to the Italian Football Federation, PUMA signed a new partnership with the South African Football Association (SAFA) last year and extended its partnership with the Swiss Football Association (SFV). The global Sportlifestyle brand continues to partner with Italian internationals Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini, and recently added Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, and Yaya Toure amongst others to its portfolio.