The Premier League mat find itself looking for a new title sponsor, but will not look to a bookmaker or betting company to fill the role, says Richard Scudamore, the league’s CEO.
Barclays is considering ending its £40m-a-year sponsorship with the league when the current deal runs out in 2016. League officials have said that if Barclay’s leaves, they will want a new headline sponsor in place within 12 months.
Scudamore told Britain’s the Telegraph newspaper that in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the game, it would be impossible to make a deal with a betting company.
“Our title sponsorship is not for everybody,” he said. “It’s not a straightforward, ‘We’ll take any brand that comes along.’ It’s more complex than that. I think betting would be very difficult”.
Scudamore said that he worries about preserving the game’s integrity and preventing the Premier League from falling victim to the “scourge” of match fixing.
