Burnley axe main sponsor Finotive after just six weeks and promote Vertu to shirt
Burnley have announced car seller Vertu as their main sponsor after terminating a recent deal with trading platform Finotive just hours before the start of the new Championship season.
Finotive was announced as Burnley’s front-of-shirt partner in early July but the club confirmed this morning that the deal had been scrapped after just six weeks for unspecified reasons.
“Burnley Football Club is disappointed to confirm that its agreement with Finotive has been terminated,” it said.
“We have acted decisively to protect the club’s interests, and those of our supporters, while ensuring preparations for the new season continue uninterrupted, both on and off the pitch.”
Finotive was established in 2021, is registered in Cyprus, has offices in Dubai and is run by English CEO Oliver Newland.
On seeing Burnley wear Finotive-branded shirts during a US tour last month, Newland wrote on social media: “This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Finotive”.
Just two weeks ago the club launched a new away kit, designed by shareholder and former NFL star JJ Watt, featuring Fintove branding.
The association proved short-lived, however, and on Thursday Lancashire media were reporting that doubts had emerged about the sponsorship.
Vertu promoted at relegated Burnley
Burnley confirmed it was dead on Friday morning and swiftly announced that Vertu, a commercial partner of the club since 2022, would be promoted to main shirt sponsor.
It came just hours before the Championship season is due to kick off on Friday night. Burnley’s first game back in the second tier, following relegation last season, is on Sunday at home to West Ham United.
“Vertu has been a valued and trusted partner of the club, and this new relationship is a natural next step for two organisations that share a commitment to ambition, innovation and long-term success,” said Burnley chairman Alan Pace.
“From our very first conversations, it was clear there was a shared vision for what this new partnership could achieve, and we look forward to working even more closely together and creating exciting new opportunities for our supporters throughout the season.”
The club said it would be communicating with fans who had bought replica shirts with Finotive’s branding on the front.