Robert Lewandowski drops Huawei as sponsor over links to Russia

The Bayern Munich and Poland striker refused to play against Russia in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers

Robert Lewandowski won the 2021 Fifa Best Award for Best Male Player (Getty Images)

Robert Lewandowski has ended his sponsorship agreement with Chinese company Huawei amid reports the technology giant support Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lewandowski’s agent confirmed on Monday that the Bayern Munich and Poland striker had terminated his contract with Huawei, which is said to be worth around £4 million per year.

There have been allegations that Huawei helped defend and repair Russia’s 4G systems after it had been brought down by hackers in the wake of the attack on Ukraine.

The Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith said in British parliament last week that Huawei had supported Russia following the cyber-attack.

In a statement, Lewandowski’s agent told the AFP: “Today, we decided to end the marketing cooperation between Robert Lewandowski and the Huawei brand.

“Therefore, the implementation of all promotional services has been suspended on our part.”

Lewandowski stated that he would refuse to play against Russia in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, putting pressure on Fifa to suspend the Russian Football Union from international football.

In backing Poland’s decision, Lewandowski said: “I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”