Strong rivalries on the pitch can give headaches to some. Many sponsors, which are now an important part of modern football, got the gist pretty quickly: it is necessary to build a bridge over the canyon dividing the two fan bases. Here are five fierce rivalries which, at one point or another in history, shared at least one thing: the name in front of the kit.
Montreal Impact – Toronto FC
Major League Soccer
Since the two Canadian clubs entered MLS, BMO has shown its intent as a proud sponsor of soccer in the country, from grassroots to professionals. The Reds and the Bleu-blanc-noir, which continue the rivalry between the two solitudes’ metropoles on grass and turf, share the same sponsor since 2012, a unique case in the league.
Celtic – Rangers
Scottish Premiership
A profound divide splits Glasgow on the field and outside the lines. Celtic, the Catholics’ club, and Rangers, the Protestants’ team, battle an age-old fight for Scottish football supremacy. Even though the Gers were relegated to the third division because of financial problems, the Old Firm rivalry stayed intact. Since long, long ago, sponsors understood they could not afford to lose half of the city’s market: they needed to have their logo on both kits, though this tradition was undone this season.
Chivas Guadalajara – Club América
Liga MX
Mexico’s most successful clubs entertain a rivalry at the top of the football chain since the ‘40s. El Súper Clásico went more often than not in América’s favour. In Montreal, mention of this club will be met with disdain and what-could-have-been memories of a certain night of April 2015.
Boca Juniors – River Plate
Primera División, Argentina
Another historic rivalry we previously addressed, the Superclásico pits against each other clubs from different social classes in Buenos Aires. Once again this year, the rivals share the same sponsor, thus avoiding boycotts from half of the city.
Sheffield Wednesday – Sheffield United
League One, England
There are only six kilometres between Bramall Lane, Sheffield United’s home, and Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium. The two teams located in Yorkshire sustain a natural rivalry and games between the two, even though becoming rarer and rarer (the last Steel City Derby taking place in 2012), always split the population. In 2011-2012, both clubs decided to share the same local sponsors, a German car dealership and a health insurance provider.
