Why does Chelsea’s new kit not have a shirt sponsor? Blues left in tricky situation after Premier League veto
Front-of-shirt sponsorship deals are crucial for Premier League football clubs to generate revenue. However, Chelsea currently finds itself in an unfavorable situation as they have no sponsor. It is evident that the absence of a sponsor could pose problems for the club if the situation persists.
The Blues previously had a £40 million per year deal with mobile telecommunications company Three. However, the club decided to terminate the agreement in search of a more lucrative sponsorship opportunity. They pursued a deal with streaming service Paramount+, but the Premier League intervened and blocked the proposal. The league believed that Chelsea endorsing one of NBC’s competitors would create issues since NBC holds the official Premier League rights in the USA.
Subsequently, Chelsea entered negotiations with gambling firm Stake. However, due to the ban on such sponsorship deals from 2026 onwards and negative fan reaction, the London giants withdrew from the discussions. The club also rejected an offer from Allianz, Bayern Munich’s stadium sponsor.
With the Premier League season fast approaching, Chelsea is now scrambling to secure a sponsor. As a result, they have lowered their demands to £25 million per year and are even willing to include the Women’s team in the sponsorship package.
The outcome of this situation remains uncertain, and we eagerly await further developments.
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Chelsea Football Club made news last week when it was announced that their new kit for the 2021/22 season will launch without a shirt sponsor, an unprecedented move by the English Premier League club. After months of rumors, Chelsea was forced to end their search for a new sponsor after it was revealed that the Premier League had vetoed all potential sponsors.
Chelsea have been without a main kit sponsor since the conclusion of their five-year sponsorship with the Yokohama Tyres company in June. The lack of a shirt sponsor could prove problematic for the club, especially given the recent financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to veto all potential sponsors may have been in response to recent criticism of the Premier League’s controversial bill to increase the number of overseas broadcast rights it holds. Many view this move as a way to increase revenue for the Premier League without necessarily benefiting the clubs. This may explain why the Premier League has reportedly refused several large offers from potential shirt sponsors.
Furthermore, the lack of a shirt sponsor could potentially disrupt other sponsorship and advertising deals for the club. With the Yokohama deal now ended, Chelsea may now have a harder time attracting new sponsors, as they will not have an official shirt sponsor to act as a draw for potential sponsors.
This isn’t the first time the Premier League has vetoed a shirt sponsor. In 2017, Arsenal were unable to agree a deal with Amazon as the league blocked the deal. Similarly, Manchester City were forced to end negotiations with the online gambling company Rize after the Premier League deemed it to be inappropriate.
So, while Chelsea’s new kit may be without a shirt sponsor for the time being, the club will be hoping that the Premier League will eventually reverse its decision and allow them to find a suitable sponsor. Otherwise, the Blues may be in a tricky financial situation come next season.