Australian soccer team Newcastle Jets reacted strongly to being told to remove its shirt sponsor’s logo for Asian Champions League fixtures.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reports that the ACL notified the Newcastle Jets prior to its first match in the competition last night that it does not allow sponsorship by gambling companies, so the logo of the Centrebet company would have be removed.
The SMH says the Jets now look set to make a loss competing in the ACL, unless it reaches the latter stages of the tournament. No Australian club has made a profit from competing in it – even the Adelaide team which finished runner-up in last year’s competition lost around $400,000, according to the paper.
SMH quotes Newcastle Jets chairman Con Constantine as saying, “It's very disappointing that nobody until three weeks ago told us that we couldn't use our major sponsor. “I reckon if Centrebet was there on our shirts and we did well in Asia, that could have been worth $200,000 to $300,000. But we lost it.
Centrebet said in January that it planned to extend its one-year deal with the Jets, worth around AU$1 million a season. The SMH said it remains to be seen whether the ACL decision would affect their decision.
