Holland’s Eredivisie winner AZ Alkmaar does not have a sponsor right now. According to court’s ruling, their previous sponsor, DSB Bank officially went bankrupt on 19th October, 2009. Taking advantage of that, Russia’s and the world’s largest gas company, Gazprom showed interest in not just sponsoring AZ but also buying the club, the stadium and the naming rights for a measly 35 million euros. Petty cash considering Gazprom’s unrivaled market share.
Currently, Gazprom owns and sponsors Russia’s Zenit St Petersburg, Germany’s Schalke 04 and they failed to enter the Dutch market once before when they were attempting to buy FC Volendam but they got relegated.
Interestingly, Gazprom pays Schalke 04 25 million euros every year and Schalke does not even play in the Champions League. So a chance to have a team in the Champions League for just 35 million euros is a huge bargain for the gas giants.
