Crypto, Gambling and Compliance: UK Football's Regulatory Framework For Sponsors & How to Mitigate Risks
In[1] June 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warned football clubs about questionable sponsorship deals with unauthorised firms, including crypto businesses and trading platforms.[2] The warning underscores the growing regulatory scrutiny of football sponsorship and commercial agreements, particularly where sponsorship rights are activated through club channels, players, ambassadors and social media platforms. In the UK, these agreements and communications may engage several overlapping regulatory regimes.
Specifically, sponsor promotions must comply with the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code)[3] enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA),[4] and promotions involving financial products or services fall within the FCA’s[5] remit. Broadly speaking, these regimes require marketing communications to be transparent, socially responsible, and fair, clear and not misleading.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also plays an important role where advertising and sponsorship activation raises any consumer protection concerns, such as undisclosed paid promotions, misleading endorsements and hidden marketing.[6] The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) allows the CMA to directly enforce consumer protection rules without the need for a court order. It can impose directions, monetary penalties, enhanced consumer measures and online interface notices.
As a consequence, sponsors and football clubs are subject to elevated risks and additional regulatory compliance requirements where they operate in sensitive or regulated sectors such as financial services, crypto assets, gambling or investments. Sponsors and football clubs should therefore go beyond simply documenting the commercial bargain to ensure that agreements embed clear compliance controls governing how sponsorship rights are exercised in practice.
This article examines the key ASA, marketing and FCA risks in football sponsorship and commercial agreements for sponsors and clubs alike and sets out practical steps to mitigate them.
It looks at:
To continue reading or watching login or register here
Already a member? Sign in
Get access to all of the expert analysis and commentary at LawInSport including articles, webinars, conference videos and podcast transcripts. Find out more here.
- Tags: Advertising | Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) | CAP Code | Commercial - Intellectual Property | Commercial - Sponsorship | Endorsement Agreements | Marketing | Sponsorship
Related Articles
- Sponsorships contracts: morality, reverse morality and integrity
- Key sponsorship trends in the use of technology and data: Part 2 – Legal considerations
- Key points for athletes to consider before signing a sponsorship agreement
- Negotiating athlete endorsement agreements in India
- How can Athletes Monetise their Brand? A Practical Approach to Brand Endorsement Agreements
- A guide to the main provisions of endorsement contracts in sport
- Top 10 Tips for Athletes Negotiating Brand Deals
- Athlete Brand Ambassadors: Do's And Don'ts for Sponsors & Brands
- Structuring sponsorship deals: Key considerations for athletes and brands on negotiating equity
Written by
Niall Lavery
Niall Lavery is an associate at the London office of K&L Gates. He splits his practice into two primary areas, specifically, 1) antitrust, competition and trade regulation and 2) intellectual property and commercial law where the team’s cross-departmental approach allows him to provide a versatile and comprehensive approach to his work.
Andrew Massey
Andrew Massey is a partner in the Financial Services practice group and Asset Management and Investment Funds practice at K&L Gates. He provides advice on financial services law and regulation to a diverse range of financial services institutions including asset managers, banking groups, financial intermediaries and platforms, and institutional investors. His practice covers advising on the financial services regulatory perimeter, and legal and regulatory requirements—when businesses need to be regulated, how businesses become regulated, and what businesses need to do to comply with financial services regulation.
Andrew is also a regulated investment fund professional. He advises managers of UK authorised funds on a wide range of matters, including new fund launches, changes to existing funds, schemes of arrangement, fund documentation and other disclosures, agreements with service providers, distribution arrangements, and regulatory compliance. In addition, Andrew acts for asset managers of both regulated and unregulated investment funds that wish to access the UK market, including advising on the UK’s Overseas Funds Regime, the AIFMD national private placement regime and the financial promotion regime.
Andrew is ranked by The Legal 500 United Kingdom for Retail Funds and Financial Services: Non-Contentious/Regulatory and Chambers UK for Financial Services: Non-Contentious Regulatory.
Andrew has served on the firm’s Audit Committee since 2022.
Kai Zhang
Kai Zhang is a special counsel and a member of the Asset Management and Investment Funds practice and a member of the Payments, Banking Regulation, and Consumer Financial Services practice at K&L Gates.
His primary focus is the regulation of asset management and investment firms, including AIFMD, UCITS and MiFID II as well as the related financial services regulatory frameworks such as regulated activities, financial promotion, TCFD disclosures and the Consumer Duty. The matters he advises on include investment funds distribution, asset manager prudential requirements, FSMA licensing, changes in control and conduct of business requirements such as client categorization and remuneration codes.
He also advises regularly on the regulatory requirements for payment service providers and e-money issuers and other fintech firms including crypto asset businesses, such as the Payment Services Regulations, the Electronic Money Regulations, the Interchange Fee Regulation, the crypto financial promotion rules and other issues within the full spectrum of payments and e-money regimes including FCA authorisation, open banking requirements and operational compliance support. His clients in these areas include large banks, authorised payment firms, payment gateway operators, technology providers and card programme operators.
James Sweett
James Sweett is an associate in the International Arbitration team at K&L Gates.
His practice consists primarily of contentious work in the energy, construction and infrastructure sectors, with particular involvement in complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes. James has assisted on arbitrations under ICC and DIAC rules and has supported clients in adjudications, expert determinations and High Court proceedings.
