Chelsea have pulled out of negotiations with the online casino Stake over becoming the club’s new front of shirt sponsor and are now in talks with other companies.
A one-year deal with Stake had been close to being agreed and prompted criticism from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and other groups of fans over the possibility of the club partnering with a betting firm.
Chelsea have encountered a number of challenges in trying to find a front of shirt sponsor after seeing the Premier League block a proposed deal with Paramount over broadcasting rights.
It was also reported that Chelsea had seen negotiations with a company from the crypto sector break down, while the Blues are believed to have rejected an offer from Allianz.
Chelsea’s front of shirt sponsorship with telecommunication company Three ends this summer and was worth an estimated £40 million a year.
Three came under fire from groups of supporters when they suspended their sponsorship after sanctions were placed on former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Experts had been shocked to find out that Chelsea were giving serious consideration to replacing Three with Stake, claiming the proposed deal was not big enough to make the reputational damage worth it.
No reasons have been given as to why Chelsea have now backed out of negotiations with Stake, but the news will be welcomed by fans and the Supporters’ Trust – as well as campaigners against gambling.
It is understood that Chelsea are still working on finding a front of shirt sponsor and it will not be Oman Air, despite images of a company representative posing with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday night.
While Oman Air appeared to have become a partner of Chelsea of some sort, the brand’s name and logo is not expected to appear on the club’s shirt during the forthcoming season.
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