Hamburg left searching for partner as stadium sponsor quits

German soccer club Hamburg are searching for a new stadium sponsor after HSH Nordbank ended its deal, but appear to have seen off interest from Arsenal and Fenerbahce in midfielder Piotr Trochowski.

HSH Nordbank, which has held the naming-rights to the club's stadium since 2007, has decided against taking up a three-year option to cotinue the partnership, blaming the global financial crisis for the situation. The partnership was worth a reported US$5.5 million per year.

"We have worked gladly and successfully with HSV in recent years," said HSH Nordbank chairman Dirk Jens Nonnenmacher. "HSV is a truly well-loved club. However, a restructuring of HSH Nordbank does not allow us to continue our cooperation. Due to the financial crisis, the situation is completely different. The bank has got to save and rebuild."

Meanwhile, the club's fans can breathe a temporary sigh of relief that influential midfielder Trochowski looks set to turn down a move away from the club. Trochowski had been strongly linked with a move to either Arsenal, in the English Premier League, or Turkey's Fenerbahce, but has pledged his future to his current club. "I am staying with HSV and that is certain," he told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper.