Behind the Jersey

What’s on your club’s shirt?

Every sponsor, traced back to who really pays. The more blood behind the money, the higher the blood level.

Premier League: 4 of 20 home shirts carry a sponsor we rate as bad. 1 is soaked.1 soaked · 2 stained · 1 spotted · 1 clean · 15 not rated yet

Soaked

4 of 4 · 1 clubA severe sponsor on the front, or two serious ones.
Aston Villa crest
Soaked4 OF 4
Aston VillaVisit Rwanda · front of shirtPaid for by the Government of Rwanda

Stained

3 of 4 · 2 clubsA serious sponsor on the front, or a severe one elsewhere.
Arsenal crest
Stained3 OF 4
ArsenalEmirates · front of shirtPaid for by the Government of Dubai
Manchester City crest
Stained3 OF 4
Manchester CityEtihad Airways · front of shirtPaid for by the Government of Abu Dhabi

Spotted

2 of 4 · 1 clubA lesser link, like a sponsor part-owned by a state.
Newcastle United crest
Spotted2 OF 4
Newcastle Unitednoon · sleevePart-owned by the Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia)

Clean

1 of 4 · 1 clubEvery sponsor and its owner checked. Nothing found.
Brighton & Hove Albion crest
Clean1 OF 4
Brighton & Hove AlbionAmerican Express · front of shirtA listed US company with no state owner. Nothing found.

Not rated yet

15 clubs
We haven’t checked who is behind these sponsors yet.
AFC Bournemouth crest
AFC Bournemouth
Brentford crest
Brentford
Chelsea crest
Chelsea
Coventry City crest
Coventry City
Crystal Palace crest
Crystal Palace
Everton crest
Everton
Fulham crest
Fulham
Hull City crest
Hull City
Ipswich Town crest
Ipswich Town
Leeds United crest
Leeds United
Liverpool crest
Liverpool
Manchester United crest
Manchester United
Nottingham Forest crest
Nottingham Forest
Sunderland crest
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur crest
Tottenham Hotspur

They dropped it

When fans find out, deals end.

Manchester United crestManchester UnitedDropped Aeroflot2022

Ended the deal early and said it shared fans’ concerns.