Sponsor logos irk World Cup sticker collectors

The routine has been the same for five decades. Soccer fans worldwide rip open packs of stickers bearing the faces of those who will play in the World Cup. This year, things are different — and collectors aren’t happy. For the first time, among packs containing stickers of stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, fans in certain areas also will find stickers bearing the logos of World Cup sponsors.

In Brazil, where a collection frenzy takes place every World Cup year, irate fans have been told they can exchange unwanted sponsor stickers. “It’s absurd because you pay for stickers that are World Cup souvenirs, not to remember World Cup advertising,” Bernardo Brasil (28) said outside the entrance of a Rio de Janeiro mall, where scores of people show up every day to swap stickers.

Italy-based Panini Group has been selling a sticker album for every World Cup since the 1970 edition in Mexico. In Brazil, a pack of five stickers costs 1 reais ($0.45). A total of 649 stickers are needed to complete the collection. Some unofficial vendors have set up street-side desks to sell individual stickers that cost as much as 4 reais each.

In an e-mail to collectors, Panini said assigning cards to the World Cup’s global sponsors allowed the free distribution of more than 6 million albums worldwide. Revenue Source Companies including Coca-Cola and Adidas are the second-biggest funding source for FIFA. They paid $404 million to be associated with the World Cup last year.