EXCLUSIVE West Ham agree new sponsorship deal with a gambling company - despite star player Lucas Paqueta facing a potential ban for his alleged involvement in spot-fixing
West Ham United – whose star player Lucas Paqueta remains the subject of a spot-fixing probe – have agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with another gambling company.
The Hammers are to jettison Betway two years after the betting firm raised the alarm over the Brazilian, who was subsequently charged with four counts of deliberately being booked to influence betting markets.
And Mail Sport understands they will replace them with Irish bookmaker BoyleSports, in a one-year deal worth around £12m ahead of the arrival of the Premier League 's ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship deals with betting companies.
The move, which comes as Paqueta faces an anxious wait for a verdict and the potential of a lengthy ban, has raised eyebrows within the game and triggered outrage elsewhere.
Anti-gambling ad campaigners claim the move shows that West Ham has 'lost its moral compass'. Will Prochaska, director of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads said: 'The modern gambling industry has poisoned football, and teams like West Ham have lost their moral compass. It's a sorry indictment of football authorities that players like Paqueta get read the riot act for gambling offences whilst his club is enabled to promote dangerous gambling products to fans.
'That the club, despite this background, is replacing one gambling sponsor with another shows that they have not learned anything and are still putting corporate greed above the interest of fans. No doubt this is the last throw of the dice for them given the incoming rules, when we fully expect gambling companies will move their logos onto sleeves and backs of shirts.'
Paqueta was charged last May for allegedly getting himself deliberately booked in four matches, and faces a lengthy ban if found guilty following the conclusion of his trial
It emerged at the beginning of this month that Paqueta's trial had concluded, however a verdict could be as much as eight weeks away. The Brazil international is also charged with two counts of failing to co-operate with the Football Association's investigation.
Paqueta is thought to have missed out on an £80m move to Manchester City following the opening of the probe into suspicious betting activity with regards to bookings he picked up in four Premier League matches.
He was eventually charged last May following a 10-month investigation. Delays have triggered frustration at the London Stadium, with uncertainty over the player's availability a feature of their summer transfer plans.
West Ham declined to comment other than to point out that the end of their relationship with Betway was not related to their role in the Paqueta case.
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