RIO DE JANEIRO, May 6 — The routine has been the same for five decades. Football fans globally 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 will also 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,” 28-year-old Bernardo Brasil said outside the entrance of a Rio de Janeiro mall, where scores of people show up every day to swap stickers. “It’s a mistake what they’ve done. They could have added stickers of something more in tone with the World Cup, like coaches, instead of advertising that only benefits them.”

Modena, 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 (RM1.45). A total of 649 stickers, known as figurines in Latin America, are needed to complete the collection. Some unofficial vendors have set up street-side desks to sell individual stickers that can cost as much as 4 reais each.

Panini will complete a two-tournament agreement with football’s governing body FIFA after the World Cup, which kicks off next month.

In an email to collectors, Panini said assigning cards to the World Cup’s global sponsors allowed the free distribution of more than six million albums worldwide.

Revenue source

Companies including Coca-Cola Co and Adidas AG are the second-biggest funding source for FIFA. They paid US$404 million (RM1.92 billion) to be associated with the World Cup last year, according to the Zurich-based football body’s latest financial report.

Brasil said he was frustrated at having to pay for stickers that help Panini profit from advertising. Panini said including such stickers was justified because the “album will not be complete without one of 649 figurines”.

“However, if one feels that the stickers of institutional sponsors are not part of the album and feels wronged, Panini will provide a free replacement,” it said.

FIFA said its commercial partners have been offered an opportunity to “create a link with the Panini collectors and add to the excitement in a limited number of areas such as Brazil.”

In addition to stickers featuring the 32 teams participating in the World Cup and sponsors, Panini collectors have to find images of stadiums, mascots and the official ball. — Bloomberg