Puma in a widely lauded decision by BDS movement and its supporters to pull out of its support of the Israeli football association said the decision was based solely on “business reasons”.

The sportswear company clarified that the decision to end its collaboration had already been made in 2022, The Associated Press reported.

Following a strategy review carried out at the end of 2022, Puma would stop outfitting the Israeli team from next year, the company said.

“While two newly signed national teams — including a new statement team — will be announced later this year and in 2024, the contracts of some federations such as Serbia and Israel will expire in 2024,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.

“These decisions were taken in 2022 in line with the regular timelines for the design (and) development of the team jerseys,” the spokeswoman said.

The deal with Israel, which was signed in 2018, prompted calls to boycott the sportswear brand.

The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement had called for a boycott of the sportswear firm before October over its sponsorship, accusing Puma of endorsing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank through its deal with the Israeli FA, which includes teams from the occupied Palestinian territory.

Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters