While Jumbo-Visma has been racing on the competition for a few weeks and has just claimed its 20th victory on À Travers la Flandre thanks to Christopher Laportethe Dutch formation is experiencing some upheavals, out of sight, behind the scenes.
The supermarket chain, Jumbo, the team’s main sponsor, might indeed decide to withdraw from 2024. It was the brand’s spokesperson who confirmed the rumor at the microphone of NOS: “We are in the process of reviewing our positioning. This will therefore also involve our sponsorship policy. We have to check if we are still in line with our vision, our ambitions and the demands of our customers.”
In other words, the discussions might therefore continue between the different parties, but according to Sporza, Jumbo should no longer take on the role of main sponsor.
Nothing to worry regarding the boss of cycling training, Richard Plugge : “So far, I’m not too worried yet. I felt it coming. We still have time to see it coming and we have enough partners who want to continue with us.”
So, what drives Jumbo to review its sponsorship policy at this point? Well for some time now the supermarket chain has been going through difficult times, the image of the brand having been seriously tarnished by a money laundering scandal in the world of motorsport, including the big boss of the brand, Frits van Eerd, was the main accused. Subsequently, van Eerd left his seat.
A successful sponsor since its arrival in 2018, Jumbo should therefore abandon this role of main sponsor. It remains to be seen where the discussions will lead and if a decision can be made regarding a secondary sponsor role.
