Zenit’s contract with Gazprom Neft cut almost by half

The amount of the advertising contract between Zenit St. Petersburg and their main sponsor Gazprom Neft in 2011 was equal to 514.2 million roubles (€13m) (VAT inclusive), according to Vedomosti. Compared to the previous year, when Zenit received 1.08 billion roubles, the amout of the contract was reduced almost by half.

As reported by the newspaper, last season the total income of the St. Petersburg club made $186 million. The amount of money allocated by Gazprom made €126 million euro of this sum, while the remaining €60 million were the club’s own income.

According to Zenit’s representative Dmitry Zimmerman, the club has received $19 million from its advertising contracts with the Russian mobile operator MTS, consumer electronics retail chain M.Video, as well as Nike and other companies; $17 million – from tickets sale; $12 million from merchandizing, and around $11 million made the prize money from Zenit’s participation in the European cups and the money from the sale of TV rights.

Zenit’s expenses in 2010 remained unchanged at their usual level of $221 million. For the first time since 2007, the St. Petersburg club recorded a loss – its amount before tax made $36 million.