Thomas Jacquemier, the club’s Managing Director, said Bordeaux had severed its relationship with the team’s front-of-shirt sponsor after it repeatedly mocked the club on social media.
In particular, the sports betting brand derided Bordeaux over its recent defeat against Marseille, and specifically, the end of its 44-year unbeaten run against the latter.
Among its posts, Winamax sarcastically tweeted: “Congratulations to the Girondins de Bordeaux who have not conceded a goal for almost 20 hours now.”
In another tweet, the operator said: “Summer 2021: A tattoo for every goal conceded by Bordeaux this season!” This was accompanied by a photograph of a heavily tattooed individual with the caption, “January 2022”.
In response, Jacquemier announced that Bordeaux would end its partnership with Winamax and remove the brand’s logo from its shirts.
“We are terminating our partnership with Winamax whose communication had dissociated itself from the spirit of the club,” said Jacquemier.
Opinion was split over this announcement, with some taking to Twitter in support of the sports betting brand, while others agreed with Bordeaux’s decision.
In response to a tweet from radio station France Bleu Gironde, one user said: “Between a sponsor whose communication is based on humour and a club that doesn’t make you want to laugh at all, it couldn’t match.”
However, another replied: “This sponsor has been dissociated from the spirit of the club from the start.
“We should have never signed with this company, whose activity is very dangerous for young people and certain vulnerable people. However good decision to end it, even if it means losing money.”
In place of the Winamax logo, Bordeaux will now sport the insignia of its charitable foundation, Cœur Marine et Blanc.
