FCA Warns UK Soccer Clubs Over Sponsorships With Unlicensed Financial Firms

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has told soccer clubs to think twice before signing sponsorship deals with unlicensed financial firms, including crypto businesses and trading platforms. The regulator’s point is simple: a club logo on the shirt does not make an unauthorised financial product legal in Great Britain.

1. The FCA said it has issued warnings to a number of soccer clubs that have partnered with unauthorised firms. According to the regulator, some of these businesses may be providing financial services without official authorisation, which can put their products in breach of Great Britain’s financial services laws.
2. The clubs contacted by the FCA were mostly Premier League teams. The regulator reminded them that they have a responsibility to promote safe entertainment to fans, not to expose them to financial risk through sponsorships with firms that are not authorised to operate.
3. For consumers, the FCA’s message is that club-backed promotion is not the same as regulation. Fans were told to use the FCA Firm Checker to verify whether a service is licensed before putting money into it.
4. The regulator also flagged the downside for clubs themselves: deals with unlicensed financial services firms can create legal liability, money laundering risks, and reputational damage. The FCA asked UK soccer clubs to do due diligence on financial service firms before signing agreements.
5. Lucy Castledine, FCA’s director of consumer investments, said fans should be able to trust the products promoted by their favourite clubs. She added: “Clubs should not let unauthorised financial firms exploit that loyalty by putting potentially dodgy products in front of millions of fans.”

The FCA also said it has initiated an investigation into certain partnership arrangements and remains committed to tackling potential problems if they emerge. For PSPs and high-risk merchants, the practical read is straightforward: sponsorship distribution does not soften licensing risk, and a sports partnership can turn into a compliance problem very quickly if the underlying financial firm is not authorised.