No. A football sponsorship does not mean a crypto, investment or trading firm is safe, regulated or financially sound. It usually means the firm paid for visibility.

In June 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority warned football clubs, mainly in the Premier League, about sponsorship deals with unauthorised financial firms, including crypto businesses and trading platforms. The FCA said some firms were using club sponsorships to target football fans, and fans using unauthorised firms risk losing all their money.

Lucy Castledine, the FCA’s director of consumer investments, made the point clearly: “A logo on a shirt means one thing: that firm paid for it.” Visibility is marketing. It is not a seal of approval.

Why football sponsorship feels trustworthy

Football sponsorship works because trust transfers. You see a trading app on your club’s shirt, pitchside boards or social media posts, and the firm starts to feel familiar. That is exactly why these deals are valuable.

To a fan, the sponsor may look endorsed by an institution they have supported for years. To the firm, that trust can make it easier to attract sign-ups, deposits and first-time investors. Many scams also use the same visual logic. They build fake investment platforms that look clean, professional and established.

The problem is simple. A football club is not a financial regulator. A sponsorship deal does not tell you whether the firm is authorised, whether it can lawfully offer its services in the UK, or whether you would have any protection if things went wrong.

What a sponsorship does and does not prove

What you seeWhat it may suggestWhat it does not proveShirt sponsorThe firm paid for a major advertising dealThat the firm is authorised by the FCAStadium advertisingThe brand has marketing budgetThat your money is protectedClub social media postThe club has a commercial relationshipThat the investment is suitable or low riskPolished app or dashboardThe firm invested in designThat real trading is taking placeCelebrity or player-style promotionThe campaign is persuasiveThat the offer is lawful or safe

The FTX lesson

The clearest warning remains FTX. The crypto exchange spent heavily on sports marketing, including a major arena naming-rights deal and a Formula 1 partnership. It then collapsed in 2022, leaving many customers facing huge losses.

Those sponsorships did not make the business safe. They did not protect fans, customers or investors. The same pattern can appear in a fake broker scheme, where a professional image hides a weak, unauthorised or fraudulent operation.

If you later need to know whether you can recover money sent digitally, authorisation and payment route often matter. Dealing with an unauthorised offshore firm can make recovery harder.

How to check before you trust a name

Before opening an account or sending money, search the firm on the FCA’s Financial Services Register. Check the exact legal name, website, contact details and permissions. Do not rely only on a logo, trading name or sponsor badge.

If a firm is not listed, appears on the FCA warning list, or has details that do not match, treat that as a serious red flag. Authorisation matters because it can affect whether you have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Those protections may not apply if you deal with an unauthorised firm.

If you have already paid money, keep crypto recovery evidence, including wallet addresses, transaction hashes, screenshots, emails, bank records and chat logs.

If it goes wrong

Losing money to a firm you saw through football sponsorship does not mean you were careless. These campaigns are designed to look credible.

Be cautious of recovery room scams, where someone claims they can retrieve your money for an upfront fee. Understanding how much compensation to claim is easier with proper guidance, and a genuine crypto scam recovery service should be clear about the limits of any case.

Beyond fraud, Claim First also helps with PCP car finance claims, payday loan refunds and housing disrepair claims support. You can also check warnings on the FCA’s ScamSmart service before committing to anything new.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to invest with a company because it sponsors a football club?

No. A sponsorship is paid marketing. Always check whether the firm is authorised and whether it has permission for the service it is offering.

Are crypto sponsors regulated by the FCA?

Some firms may be registered or authorised for specific activities, but many crypto and trading sponsors are not authorised to provide financial services in the UK. Check the register yourself.

What happens if a sponsor collapses like FTX?

You could lose your money, especially if the firm is unauthorised or based offshore. The usual complaint and compensation routes may not apply.

How do I check if a firm is authorised?

Search the exact firm name on the FCA Financial Services Register. If it is missing, warning-listed or the details do not match, do not send money.

Worried about a firm you trusted?

If you put money into a crypto or trading firm because it looked credible and now fear it was not, gather your records and start your scam recovery claim with Claim First. We can help you understand your options and pursue the routes that may apply.