Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace received warnings for their commercial relationship with sponsor Kaiyun Sports. Consequently, the warning came after revealing that the platform is one of the bookmakers that does not have a license in the United Kingdom to operate.
Moreover, Kaiyun Sports would not be complying with the guidelines of the new football code of conduct in relation to the sponsorship of betting games. The Premier League, FA or Football Association, EFL, and Women’s Super League announced this code recently.
Wayback 2023, Kaiyun Sports announced a deal with Nottingham Forest. They operated by a company called TGP Europe. Nonetheless, they warned Nottingham Forest that they could break the law if they made the site available in the United Kingdom.
Kaiyun Sports is the title sponsor of Nottingham Forest and also displays its brand on the sleeve of the Crystal Palace shirt. The platform already had commercial partnerships with Chelsea that ended in June 2024 and Aston Villa in the 2022/2023 season.
The Premier League banned sponsorship from bookmakers from the 2026/2027 season onwards.
Clubs are taking the opportunity to close short-term master sponsorship agreements with bookmakers. This is while this measure does not come into full force.
The club did not disclose that Kaiyun operated in the betting business when they announced the agreement with Nottingham Forest. They only described Kaiyun Sports as a digital sports platform.
Kaiyun Sports has already established collaborations with Real Madrid and Internazionale. The company is based in Asia and faces accusations of promoting games in China. In this country, this practice is prohibited by law.
The warnings received by Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace highlight the need for transparency and compliance with local laws. The lack of a valid license to operate in the United Kingdom potentially affects their reputation and finances. It has put the clubs in a delicate position.
