“Really? FFS!” – Liverpool fans react to club announcement of confirmed deal

Liverpool fans are reacting to the news of a deal with new betting partner 1XBET and are upset it is not a new transfer being confirmed.

Liverpool fans eager for the club to confirm a big deal this summer have been reacting to the latest signing. Unfortunately it is not a new player for Jurgen Klopp’s squad; it is a new betting sponsorship partner – 1XBET.

The club announced the deal on the official website with LFC managing director and chief commercial officer Billy Hogan saying:

“We are delighted to welcome 1XBET to Liverpool FC as our newest partner. I know that their games and special offers will appeal to our fans around the world and we look forward to seeing these as we go into the new 2019-20 season.”

It would seem inconsistent to on the one hand complain that the Liverpool hierarchy don’t have the same cash to spend as Man City and then on the other hand criticize the club for a high figure sponsorship deal but that is what a lot of fans are doing.

https://twitter.com/ShannonLFC_YNWA/status/1148865144346370048

However it is not so much that it is a new corporate sponsorship agreement (yay money!) but that it is a gambling partner. Many fans will have friends and family who have had their lives ruined or seriously impacted by gambling addiction.

You can’t watch a game in the UK without a torrent of ads for gambling websites and apps so it is not a surprise this news has been met with a negative response by local fans.

Commercialism is a huge part of modern sport and most fans have accepted it as inevitable – the deal with the devil to see your club grow. But it is worth making a stand when you believe there to be a moral imperative.

It is the ethical conundrum for the modern fan. It is easy to criticize the club for the move when there is little transfer news to talk about. But would we still be as outraged if they were to “Announce Mbappe” tomorrow? I hope so.