Chelsea withdraws sponsorship of online casino shirts after criticism from fans

Chelsea's attempts to find a new shirt sponsor for the Three have run into difficulties. Photo: PA/Tess Derry

Chelsea have dropped out of negotiations with online casino Stake to become the club's new title sponsor and are now in talks with other companies.

The one-year deal with Stake came close to being negotiated and prompted criticism from the Chelsea Supporters' Fund and other fan groups over the possibility of the club partnering with the betting firm.

Chelsea ran into a number of problems trying to find a sponsor for shirts after the Premier League blocked a proposed deal with Paramount over broadcast rights.

Chelsea were also reported to be in talks. broke with a company from the crypto sector, while it is believed that the «blue» rejected the offer of Allianz.

Chelsea's sponsorship with telecom company Three ends this summer and is valued at £40m a year.

Three were heavily criticized by supporter groups when they suspended their sponsorship after opposing former Chelsea sanctions have been imposed. owner Roman Abramovich.

People were shocked to learn that Chelsea are seriously considering replacing Three with Stake, arguing that the proposed deal is not big enough to recoup the reputational damage.

Reasons on which Chelsea pulled out of negotiations with Stake is not given, but the news would be welcomed by fans and the fan fund, as well as anti-gambling campaigners.

It is clear that Chelsea are still working over looking for a shirt sponsor, and it won't be Oman Air, despite images of a company representative posing with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday night.

While Oman Air appears to be some sort of Chelsea partner , the brand name and logo must not appear on the club jersey in the coming season.