Soccer runs out of bookmaker sponsorships

The measure will be a very hard blow for the professional soccer industry in our country. Soccer clubs will have until the end of the season to terminate their advertising contracts with bookmakers. This has been communicated by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to 25 professional clubs that have contracts in force with gaming companies. The minister has sent letters to the presidents of the different clubs that have signed sponsorship contracts for the next few years with betting companies, to warn them that they must terminate those agreements on that date. August 30, 2021 will be the date of entry into force of the prohibition of sponsorships and in the next few days it will be recorded by the royal decree that will regulate the advertising of the Game.

The news has fallen like a jug of cold water between the First and Second division clubs. The Government will allow the clubs an extension until next August, understanding that the immediate cancellation of those millionaire sponsorships already signed with bookmakers could mean the economic bankruptcy of several clubs. Until then, the clubs will be able to continue advertising bookmakers on their shirts. Of course, now they are forced to have to look for new sponsors in a market that is frankly complicated by the impact of Covid-19.

As Goal has learned, several professional clubs had requested moratoriums of up to 3 and 4 years from the Government, to terminate its commercial relationship with the bookmakers in sufficient time not to see its economy harmed. However, that request has dissolved like a sugar in coffee and now the clubs already know that their millionaire contracts with the bookmakers have an expiration date: August 2021.

The veto of bookmakers in Spanish professional football would include advertising on t-shirts, billboards, stadiums or, attention, advertising in television sports spaces (except in the early morning hours), could generate losses of more than 100 million euros in the soccer industry. An economic impact that, added to the cancellation of the tournament for months due to the health emergency and the absence of the public (therefore, of money at the box office) due to Covid-19, will cause serious damage to the clubs.

Top teams like Valencia CF, Sevilla FC, Club Atlético Osasuna, Levante UD, Real Betis, Deportivo Alavés, Granada CF or Cádiz CF they have right now, as the main sponsor, a gambling-related firm. On the other hand, many other clubs have a bookmaker as a secondary sponsor: we are talking about Athletic Club, FC Barcelona, ​​RC Celta de Vigo, Elche CF, Real Madrid CF and Villarreal CF. Single Atlético de Madrid, SD Eibar, Getafe CF, SD Huesca, Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid they have no connection whatsoever with commercial firms related to gambling.

In Primera, 8 clubs have bookmakers as the main sponsor of the team. In Second, the picture is even worse, since only Malaga, Rayo Vallecano, Huesca and Lugo they have no gambling-related sponsor. That is, 4 teams of 22 participants.

For Spanish football, the ban on betting house advertising will be an economic blow to biblical proportions. First, because it will affect the income account of each club. And second, because the news comes in a delicate economic context: losses from Covid-19 are hitting some clubs that lost money with it. stop for the health emergency and they still do not deposit money at the lockers because Public access is not allowed in stadiums.