Chelsea fans’ group hail supporter power after Stake.com sponsorship deal axed
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has welcomed suggestions that the Premier League football club has shelved a possible sponsorship deal with crypto betting platform Stake.com.
Chelsea had been in talks to make Stake.com their new front-of-shirt sponsor for next season, replacing mobile network Three, which chose not to renew its £40m-a-year contract.
The news provoked a backlash from the fans’ group, who said this week that the majority of its members opposed a deal that was “at the expense of the club’s values”.
“The CST is really pleased that, according to recent reports, Chelsea FC has listened to the very serious concerns of the trust and has acted accordingly,” said a spokesperson for the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust.
“Over 77 per cent of our members disagree with the use of an online casino and betting company as the primary shirt sponsor, and if these reports are indeed correct, it demonstrates again that supporters can make a monumental difference.
“Our consistent message to the owners is clear – make the supporters proud.”
A sponsorship deal with Stake.com would have been at odds with Premier League clubs’ pledge to phase out betting partners by the 2026-27 season.
The online casino is already the shirt sponsor of fellow top-flight club Everton, and has previously partnered with Watford.
Chelsea have struggled to tie up a new principal sponsor and were also forced to abandon plans for a deal with streaming service Paramount Plus.
The proposed agreement fell foul of Premier League rules relating to broadcast partners, who provide the vast majority of the organisation’s revenue.
The Blues’ commercial appeal has been dented by a disappointing 2022-23 campaign in which they failed to qualify for the Champions League.