Burnley have been forced into an extraordinary late change to their front-of-shirt sponsor just days before the start of the new Championship season after terminating their agreement with Finotive One only 42 days after announcing the partnership.
The Clarets confirmed they had ended the deal “to protect the club’s interests, and those of our supporters”, although they have not publicly explained why the agreement was scrapped.
The decision has left Burnley facing significant disruption ahead of Sunday’s Championship opener against West Ham United. Fans who purchased the club’s new home and away shirts featuring the Finotive One logo will be offered either a full refund or an exchange for updated kits carrying Burnley’s new sponsor, UK car dealership Vertu Motors.
The sudden change has also rendered Burnley’s recently launched away-kit campaign obsolete. The cream-coloured strip was unveiled only two weeks ago in a high-profile promotional video featuring minority investor and former NFL star JJ Watt, England cricket legend James Anderson and Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Supporters first suspected something was wrong when Burnley players appeared without a sponsor on their shirts in promotional material ahead of the new season. Shortly afterwards, references to the Finotive One partnership disappeared from the club’s official website before Burnley formally confirmed the agreement had been terminated.
Vertu Motors, which has maintained a commercial partnership with Burnley since 2022, has now stepped in as the club’s replacement shirt sponsor. However, replacing a major sponsorship agreement at such short notice is likely to leave Burnley in a weaker negotiating position than when the original deal was signed.
The episode is the latest in a series of sponsorship issues at Turf Moor. Previous front-of-shirt partners have included betting companies LoveBet, SpreadEx, W88 and 96.com, with several of those partnerships ending amid financial or regulatory concerns.
Burnley had attempted to move away from gambling sponsors by partnering with Cyprus-based trading company Finotive One this summer, but the relationship has lasted just six weeks.
The club has not disclosed whether the termination will result in financial penalties, but the decision is expected to come at a significant cost as Burnley prepare for the start of the new Championship campaign.
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