A senior Wimbledon official has fiercely defended the tournament’s sponsorship deal with Barclays, accusing pro-Palestinian and climate protesters of trying to boost their campaign image.
Event organizers are facing pressure from climate groups and anti-war campaigners to drop the bank as a sponsor, who accuse Barclays of using the event to “hide its role in funding the climate crisis” and “evade responsibility for its role” .
Usama Al-Qassab, Wimbledon’s commercial and marketing director, told reporters on Thursday that this was the strongest comment from Wimbledon officials to date: ” [Barclays] The partnership is one we are very proud of. We went through a very thorough review process.
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside Center Court at the start of last Monday’s match, calling for an end to Barclays’ sponsorship.
“Wimbledon is a global event and many people want to use it to send a message. We believe people have the right to protest peacefully and they did so,” Kassab said.
Protests have taken place outside many major sporting events, he said. “It’s no surprise that the pinnacle of tennis also has such activity off the court.”
On Thursday afternoon, outside the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts Wimbledon, a group of families and teachers carried a giant banner with a message from Barclays: “Stop playing with our future.” There they handed AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton a letter and drawings drawn by children in the crowd.
Last Monday, Bolton said it was not unusual for demonstrators to “seek to exploit the platform of the tournament”.
Charlotte Howell-Jones, co-director of Future Parents UK, the organization behind the action, said she was “absolutely shocked” by Kassab’s comments. “If their review process means they have approved one of the largest funders of fossil fuels as their sponsor, then the bar is low. They can be replaced and they should be replaced.
“We do not select specific events to enhance any message. [Barclays] Who happens to be one of the biggest funders in Europe of the very things that are ruining the future of our children.
Barclays is Europe’s largest fossil fuel financier, having invested $235bn (£186bn) since 2016. and other military equipment companies have about £2 billion in stock.
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Barclays said: “We trade shares in listed companies based on client instructions or needs, which may result in us holding shares. Although we provide financial services to these companies, we do not invest for Barclays, which has Nor are they ‘shareholders’ or ‘investors’ in these companies.
The bank’s multi-year sponsorship deal with Wimbledon is reportedly worth £20 million. HSBC had sponsored the event for 15 years before being replaced by Barclays ahead of last year’s event.
A Barclays spokesman previously said: “Like many other banks, we provide financial services to companies that supply defense products to the UK, NATO and their allies. We also provide finance to the transforming energy sector, including providing 1 trillion by 2030.” US dollars in sustainable and transformational financing to build a cleaner, more secure energy system.
