Adidas don’t plan to extend their sponsorship deal with Mesut Özil this summer, reportedly citing his public image and their current financial issues.

Bild report that Adidas don’t plan to extend their sponsorship deal with Mesut Özil this summer, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, Özil’s public image is reportedly playing a big part. Adidas didn’t like the 31-year-old’s involvement in the Erdogan controversy in 2018. Nor the issues with China after criticising their treatment of Uighur Muslims in December.

Secondly, Adidas took a major financial hit during the current pandemic. They’re apparently looking to cut costs wherever they can, and choosing not to renew a big contract with a top Premier League name is one obvious way to do that.

The timing is certainly interesting, as Adidas tweet out “Together is how we move forward. ⁣Together is how we make change” in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

As great as that is, it’s almost as if they only support social causes until they stop being profitable.

It’s easy to post a vague statement about togetherness, reel in the retweets but then drop any celebrity whose support of their fellow human beings is making them less marketable. I’m not going to pretend I expected anything different, it’s just worth highlighting.