Dylan Bettencourt
Manchester City have come under pressure for maintaining their sponsorship deal with Marathonbet, a Kremlin-backed company, since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
The betting company was established in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 1997 and is one of only 20 betting entities allowed to operate in Russia.
Marathonbet announced that it is no longer taking bets from the United Kingdom due to “recent and ongoing events in Europe.”
The company expanded their operation across Europe in the last 10 years and became a sponsor of Premier League giants Manchester City a mere four years ago.
The British government urged all sporting clubs to review their deals with Russian companies following the invasion on 24 February.
“Appropriate actions should be taken to limit sponsorship and other financial support from entities with links to the Russian or Belarusian states,” the government said a month ago.
However, Manchester City’s deal with Marathonbet remains intact but a source within the club revealed the deal was “coming to an end.”
The deal has Marathonbet kiosks around the Etihad Stadium as well as their logos appearing on the club’s training kits and interview backdrops.
While the training kit deal ended in 2019 the club’s website still has the Marathonbet logo on display.
Several betting firms, including Bet365, have shut down their operations in Russia since the invasion but Marathonbet remains in full operation in the country.
While Manchester City may lose out on a few million pounds from the sponsorship deal they could retain their Premier League title after Liverpool failed to beat them in Sunday’s epic clash.
Pep Guardiola’s men remain one point ahead in the league standings with just seven games to go. If they were to win all their remaining games, they would be crowned champions once again.
Image source: @ManCity
