Finance guru: ‘Controversial’ new Man City alliance is causing ‘absolute havoc’
Mysterious gambling firms like new Man City partner 8XBet are causing “absolute havoc” within football governance.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest controversy surrounding City’s commercial dealings.
The reigning Premier League champions announced on Tuesday (5 July) that they had struck a deal for 8XBET to be their official Asian gambling sponsor.
The deal has since been dissected by industry experts, many of whom have pointed out inaccuracies and omissions in the company’s UK-facing website.
For example, none of the company’s directors are traceable and the site interface is non-operational.
On the day the deal was announced, The Athletic’s investigations writer Joey D’Urso tweeted: “Man City’s statement says this website ‘is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission’ which is categorically false.”
Plumley explained why companies like 8XBet have led to so much consternation among analysts.
“We have had similar controversies with betting companies and crypto firms,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“How many times have we said this over the last few months? Thes two industries are causing absolute havoc on a governance level.
“On a societal level, people are losing money gambling and fan token crashes. But football clubs continue to strike more and more deals with this kind of partner.
“I don’t know how you solve that without banning this sort of thing. The clubs to some extent seem oblivious. The clubs have the fear of missing out and are likely to take the biggest offer available to them.”
In other news, pundit suggests Phil Foden could quit Man City for Euro giants amid talks update.