Chelsea have pulled out of a potential deal with betting company Stake.com to become their main shirt sponsor next season following a fan backlash.
The Premier League club was said to have entered into “advanced negotiations” with Stake over an initial 12-month deal worth £40m last month after their contract with previous front-of-shirt sponsor, mobile network Three, had expired.
However, they have since walked away from discussions after facing fierce criticism from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST), who said that aligning with Stake would “alienate supporters” and “devalue the image of the club”, as well as anti-gambling campaigners including The Big Step.
Chelsea are currently the only Premier League side without a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal agreed for next season and will now resume their search for a new commercial partner after also being blocked from pursuing an agreement with Paramount+ over concerns it could anger broadcasters.
Their training kit is sponsored by the hotel price comparison website Trivago.
The CST conducted a poll which found that 77 per cent of its members “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” with the club having an online casino and betting company as their primary shirt sponsor.
In a strongly-worded statement, the CST said that the proposed partnership with Stake “would make a mockery” of the work done by Chelsea’s charitable foundation which has delivered gambling harm awareness workshops in schools in Hammersmith and Fulham and launched a campaign encouraging fans to open up on their mental health.
“It is depressing and unacceptable that one of the world biggest football clubs were even considering using their shirt to promote an addictive online casino in the first place,” said The Big Step.
“But if Chelsea have pulled out of this deal then it is down to the efforts of Chelsea Supporters Trust who mobilised against it brilliantly.
“Gambling sponsorship has never been more unpopular because supporters see the harm gambling is causing to communities up and down the country – it’s a shame clubs can’t see it too.
“This saga should be a wake-up call to football but also a lesson to fans of all teams that if you don’t want your club to promote gambling, tell them!”
In April, the Premier League announced that clubs had unanimously agreed to cease gambling sponsorship on the front of their shirts from the end of the 2025-26 season onwards.
The three-year delay was to allow clubs to “transition” away from existing contracts with betting companies, however, that hasn’t prevented some from exploring fresh opportunities within the sector.
Last month, Aston Villa announced a multi-year partnership with BK8 while Crystal Palace will also bear Kaiyun Sports’ logo on their shirt sleeves next season.
Brentford have also renewed their shirt sponsorship deal with South Africa-based Hollywood Bets, despite losing Ivan Toney to an eight-month ban for breaching the FA’s gambling rules.
i has approached Chelsea for comment
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