Athletico Miniero, of Brazilian soccer’s Serie A, yesterday signed up South American sports apparel brand Topper as their new kit supplier, becoming the latest soccer club to ditch Dryworld, the Canadian sportswear company. 

The Brazilian club terminated its contract with Dryworld three years early, after initially signing a R$100-million ($29-million) five-year deal in 2015. 

Dryworld played a key role in the club securing the transfer of Brazilian superstar Robinho earlier this year, and signed the player to a personal sponsorship deal, which is still expected to run until the end of 2017.

Miniero’s four-year agreement with Topper, which produced the team’s jerseys between 2010 and 2012, will begin at the start of the 2017 season. 

In September, fellow Brazilian soccer side Santa Cruz ended their R$7.5-million per-year deal with Dryworld and signed a new deal with Penalty, the Sao Paulo-based equipment manufacturer.

Last week, Watford, of English soccer’s Premier League, announced they were ending their agreement and unveiled a new three-year deal with Adidas, the German sportswear giant. 

Watford signed a three-year deal with Dryworld in May but the club opted to end the deal early after the company failed to deliver the team’s equipment on time and was late with several payments. 

Queen's Park Rangers, of English soccer’s second-tier Championship, are understood to be in the process of ending their association with the brand, having signed a 10-year deal with Dryworld in April, and it is thought that a new kit supplier will be announced early next year. 

In January, the company signed a five-year deal with Brazilian soccer giants Fluminense, which Dryworld claimed was the most lucrative soccer kit deal to be signed in the country in recent years, but one club board member said in September that "distribution is their Achilles heel." However, Fluminense has not terminated the deal. 

In soccer, Dryworld is also the sponsor of the Delhi Dynamos, of Indian soccer’s Indian Super League.

A Dryworld representative could not be reached for comment.

Sportcal