Aston Villa President of Business Operations Francesco Calvo has warned of another PSR nightmare for clubs this summer, when 11 need to change their main sponsors.
Calcio e Finanza cover comments from Calvo today. He’s been speaking at the Spobis Conference in Hamburg. For those that don’t know, that’s one of the main European events dedicated to the sports industry and innovation.
He was a headline speaker, discussing various topics around Aston Villa at the conference. This included the Champions League, efforts to improve the infrastructure at the club and the impending issue with sponsorship.
Aston Villa are one of 11 Premier League clubs who will need to replace their main sponsor this summer. That’s because the Premier League has decided to phase out certain types of betting sponsorships to address concerns about gambling related harm. It is also an effort to avoid stricter government legislation.
The ban, which is voluntary, takes effect from the start of next season. Aston Villa are one of the sides impacted. They’re front of shirt sponsor is Betano, a Greek online betting platform.
They became Aston Villa’s main sponsors back in 2024, penning a record-breaking deal that’s seen Villa bring in £40m. Now they have to change, and Calvo warns it could be a major problem, particularly with PSR in mind.
Aston Villa and others in a buyer’s market
“I’d say that when we look for a sponsor, I always have this short and obvious story,” he said.
“When you look for a partner, you always look at the money, that’s a given, the premium positioning of the brand, and the activation the brand can generate.
“Right now, it’s clearly a buyer’s market, not a seller’s, because you have 11 clubs, now 10 because one has resolved the issue, on the market looking for sponsors not related to betting, which makes the market very competitive.
“This is probably the biggest challenge English football is facing right now.”