Observant supporters began to suspect something on Thursday when Sky Sports promoted Sunday’s fixture with an image of Kyle Walker wearing a sponsor-free Burnley shirt.
The image raised questions because Burnley had displayed the Finotive One name on their shirts throughout pre-season.
The branding was still clearly visible on the kit last Saturday when Burnley welcomed Notts County in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.
Supporters then discovered that every announcement concerning the Finotive One agreement had disappeared from Burnley’s official website.
On Friday morning, Burnley announced that the partnership had been terminated in order to safeguard the interests of both the club and its fans.
This is not the first occasion on which the Lancashire side has experienced difficulties involving a shirt sponsor.
Asian betting company LoveBet initially agreed to a three-year partnership but was replaced after two seasons because of financial problems.
That development came shortly after AIK Capital completed its purchase of the club in December 2020.
Amid criticism of the club’s connection to gambling, new chairman Alan Pace said on X that the matter would be considered as part of Burnley’s wider commercial plans.
Pace acknowledged that previous contractual commitments might still apply, but said he and his team would examine the issue with the club’s long-term future in mind.
Nevertheless, gambling businesses have remained a major presence among Burnley’s sponsors during AIK Capital’s ownership.
Apart from a single-season agreement with Classic Football Shirts in 2022-23, every principal shirt sponsor under AIK Capital was connected to gambling until the current campaign.
LoveBet was succeeded by SpreadEx, a business offering fixed-odds and spread-betting services.
Following the partnership with Classic Football Shirts, Burnley signed an agreement with Philippines-based gambling operator W88.
In 2024, the club entered a disputed two-year partnership with 96.com, a betting platform operated by TGP Europe.
The Gambling Commission later cautioned Burnley and three other clubs about their associations with websites managed by the company after it gave up its British gambling licence.
Investigators concluded that TGP Europe had not conducted adequate checks on its commercial partners and had failed to comply with anti-money-laundering requirements.
Burnley adopted an unusual approach when searching for a company to replace 96.com.
Finotive One is registered in Cyprus and presents itself as a comprehensive ecosystem for traders, although limited information was available about its operations or customers.
Vertu Motors, which has maintained a sponsorship relationship with Burnley since 2022, agreed to take the vacant position.
The conditions of the late replacement agreement with Vertu remain unclear, but Burnley’s urgent need for a new sponsor likely weakened its bargaining position.
Only a few weeks earlier, the Finotive One proposal had seemingly been the most financially attractive option available to the club.
However, the partnership collapsed after only six weeks, leaving Burnley in an uncomfortable situation.
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