The regulations, which were released in February this year, target advertising from online gambling companies, most notably on football jerseys, in a bid to mitigate the risk of problem gambling and gambling addiction.
Osasuna is a Pamplona-based La Liga team and has enjoyed a close association with shirt sponsor KirolBet for several seasons, acting as an important pillar of growth and financial stability for the club.
This isn’t the first time the sponsorship has been under spotlight, however, with Osasuna being pressured as early as October last year to end its relationship with KirolBet. This came after a Pamplona club assembly where members passed the decree that the club should terminate all agreements with “compromising partners”.
Responding to the assembly, club president Luis Sabalza stated that Osasuna governance had begun discussions regarding early termination of the KirolBet sponsorship, which was formally set to end in 2021.
Club chief executive Fran Canal also reminded members of KirolBet’s financial importance as shirt sponsor, citing the numerous compromises that have been made to ensure the deal’s longevity, including withdrawing the bookmaker’s logo across lower team categories in line with the newly proposed advertising regulations released earlier this year.
Since signing on as main sponsor in 2018, and until next Sunday when Osasuna will play its last league game of the season against Mallorca, first team players will wear the KirolBet logo on their shirts.
