Close call - Melbourne Victory FC avoids Asian Football Confederation Sponsorship Breach

A-League club Melbourne Victory FC have been forced to remove a shirt sponsor for their Asian Champions League (ACL) match against Daegu FC of the K-League over fears that the sponsor had links to a foreign online betting agency.

This change happened “within minutes of kick-off, as the A-League champions (Melbourne Victory) announced they'd be putting the deal on ice after an eagle-eyed examination of Twitter, and made a last-minute swap to their away jerseys.”[1]

Initially, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the tournament organisers, cleared Melbourne Victory’s sponsorship by Hong Kong based media agency Kaishi Entertainment. This was even though the AFC formally forbids gambling sponsors being promoted by clubs in the ACL.

The AFC Regulations in respect of Gambling Sponsors

The AFC Equipment Regulations 2019

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