Carabao and League Cup deal extended for new record

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Carabao Cup trophy
Credit: Matt West/Shutterstock

Carabao Energy Drink and the English Football League (EFL) have agreed to a three-year deal, with Carabao continuing as the League Cup’s Title Sponsor until the conclusion of the 2026/27 season.

The new arrangement will stretch the EFL and Carabao association to ten seasons, making the energy drink company the longest Title Sponsor in League Cup history.

Carabao became the Title Sponsor of the 2017/18 League Cup tournament, which Manchester City won 3-0 against Arsenal. Manchester City has won the Carabao Cup three more times after the sponsorship agreement began, including consecutively from 2018 to 2021.

Nine-time League Cup winners Liverpool (in 2022) and current holders Manchester United are the only other clubs to have lifted the trophy since. 

Carabao and the EFL have been active globally in Thailand and Asia since the collaboration began, showcasing the partnership and the tournament to global audiences.

The Carabao 7-A-Side Cup was most recently held in Thailand in November 2022 by former League Cup champions David James and Louis Saha. Launched in 2021, the ‘Coach the Coaches’ programme has seen coaches from EFL Clubs go to South-east Asia to strengthen and grow the level of football and coaching in Thailand.

EFL Chief Commercial Officer Ben Wright commented on the partnership and what the Carabao cup means for the EFL and its clubs.

“The Carabao Cup is an incredibly valuable asset to the EFL and its Clubs, and the relationship with Carabao over the last seven years has played an important role in the life of English football,” he stated via press release.

“The longevity of Carabao’s association with the League Cup only amplifies the value the competition holds in the football calendar for Clubs and their supporters up and down the country.  

“We thank Carabao for their commitment to the EFL, our Clubs and our competitions and look forward to this next term and celebrating a decade of partnership.” 

Carabao Group CEO Sathien Sathientham outlined how the Carabao brand will be enhanced further.

“We are delighted to renew with the EFL and extend our title sponsorship of the Carabao Cup through to 10 seasons in 2027,” he added via press release.

“The competition has seen the brand go from strength to strength, both in the UK and globally, as we see the positive impacts of increased awareness of Carabao products and customer base among football fans.

“We are honoured to play our part in a competition and event such as the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, and look forward to continuing our relationship with the EFL, the 92 participating clubs and all of their fans for a further three seasons.”  

The quarter final of the Carabao Cup will be held in late December.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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