Not the sort of publicity Avaya was seeking

No doubt many a soccer fan has been inspired to pick up a fancy call center package or some sweet, sweet SDN technology after catching a San Jose Earthquakes soccer match at Avaya Stadium, but the company found its brand splattered all over headlines it would rather have avoided after an ugly incident at the field on Sunday.

My Google Alert on Avaya, used mainly to help keep track of the company’s product announcements and business drama (Chapter 11 filing, networking business sale to Extreme, etc.), started blowing up this morning:

“Soccer fans turn violent at Avaya Stadium before big match between Mexican teams: Club America and Monarcas Morelia,” read a headline in the San Jose Mercury News, for example.

“Soccer fans turn violent outside Avaya Stadium,” read the SFGate headline about dozens of San Jose police officers responding to a fight between fans of two Mexican soccer clubs readying for a match. A fence was torn town, and those involved scattered when the cops arrived.

If only some Avaya collaboration tools could have been used to bring the two sides together in the first place.

Avaya has had its name on the stadium since it opened in 2015, though some have wondered if it can really still afford the couple million a year it pays for the naming rights.

Since its opening, the venue has been the site of high profile events, such as last year’s Major League Soccer All-Star game. It even hosted Team USA’s 6-0 victory over Honduras in a World Cup qualifier this past Friday. But unfortunately for Avaya, its name didn’t make it into those headlines.

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