Top 10 Worst Sponsors In Football History

There have been some iconic football shirt sponsors over the years, ranging from Nintendo sponsoring Fiorentina from 1997-1999 to Pirelli being on the front of Inter’s shirt for decades. However when there’s a hero there must be a villain, and some of these shirt sponsors make a case to be the villain.

Spudbros – Preston

The TikTok sensation Spudbros have taken to the footballing world as they have become the official sponsor of Preston North End. The backstory to Spudbros and the connection to Preston is a fascinating one, with brothers Harley and Jacob Nelson running a TikTok channel which sells jacket potatoes from a tram within the heart of Preston. Whilst their story is an interesting one, their logo doesn’t match the aesthetic of the shirt, questioning the design of the jersey.

Preston’s new front of shirt sponsor is local TikTok famous Spud Brothers 🥔 pic.twitter.com/zbR9Q3iFsu
— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) June 25, 2025

Just Eat – Derby

Just Eat became the shirt sponsor for Derby County in the 2014/15 season, being the club’s sponsor for three seasons until they parted ways at the end of the 2016/17 campaign. Whilst there is a time and a place for a Just Eat delivery, it certainly doesn’t belong on a football shirt. The Just Eat logo looked plastered onto the front of the Rams shirt, and looked out of place altogether on a football shirt.

Despite some failed partnerships off the pitch, Derby are looking to have more success on the pitch by strengthening their squad. The Rams have been linked with Patrick Agyemang, with our article telling you everything you need to know about the American striker.

Derby's new home kit makes it look like they're carrying backpacks on a school trip. pic.twitter.com/6yXUu4OTp5
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) June 10, 2016

Flamingo Land – Hull City

Flamingo Land were the sponsors of Hull City during the 2015/16 campaign, which lasted for only one season. The sponsor are a North Yorkshire theme park and resort and are host to the UK’s most popular zoo. With the team nicknamed the Tigers, it meant that tigers would prove to be a popular destination whether that was on or off the pitch. As for the format of the sponsor, it matched the pre-existing black colour within the shirt, making it look more appealing that some of the other shirts on this list.

Just as they had six years previous, Umbro replaced a shirt with equal width black & amber stripes with one with black pinstripes on an amber field in 2015. This shirt featured the wordmark of sponsor Flamingo Land, the North Yorkshire theme park. #hcafc pic.twitter.com/amMwqUHMJW
— HCK (Les) (@HullCityKits) April 13, 2020

Burger King – Getafe

Another fast-food related sponsor failing to create a serious partnership. Burger King was the sponsor of Getafe for the 2009/10 campaign, which ended up being a whopping failure. Shirt sales declined, with fans unable to take the shirt seriously. If that wasn’t enough, the Burger King’s face was on the inside of the shirt so players and fans could celebrate scoring a goal. Overall the sponsor didn’t achieve its intended target, explaining the short time it spent as Getafe’s sponsor.

Getafe 🤝 Burger King

🍔 pic.twitter.com/0CNNrSY4EM
— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) March 31, 2022

Dryworld – QPR

The sponsorship that was over before it even began. Dryworld were scheduled to sponsor QPR for the 2016/17 season, but the sportswear brand faced financial difficulties. That resulted in delays in the production of the kit, with the Rangers considering taking legal action. The club terminated their contract with Dryworld, capping off a disappointing partnership.

Dryworld marks European arrival with QPR kit deal https://t.co/9VZGDWyjTK pic.twitter.com/vLW0lOvyet
— The Drum (@TheDrum) April 26, 2016

TY – Portsmouth

Known for their famous Beanie Babies, it made it difficult for TY to manufacture a transition into the footballing world. From 2002-2005 TY were the sponsor for Portsmouth, as their big, red hearted logo was plastered onto the front of the Pompey shirt. The sponsorship deal came in with Portsmouth's promotion to the Premier League, which ensured maximum promotion and visibility of the logo. It’s safe to say that the TY logo doesn’t exactly belong on the front of a football shirt.

#RandomKitOfTheDay

Portsmouth 03/04 home

Imagine being sponsored by a stuffed animal company. Well, Portsmouth enjoyed success toying with their opponents and giving them a stuffing in this TY sponsored kit (sorry) pic.twitter.com/ZopRVDZNPI
— Upper90CustomJerseys (@CustomUpper90) July 8, 2020

Wonga – Newcastle United

With Newcastle United having some iconic shirt sponsors over the years, their partnership with Wonga stands out even more. Going from the Newcastle Brown Ale shirts in the 1990s to the collaboration with Wonga between the 2013-2017, there is a noticeable difference in the standard of sponsorships. The Wonga logo just looked misplaced on the Magpies shirt, not matching the aesthetic of the jersey whatsoever.

NEW KIT: 2016/17 home kit unveiled by @dwightgayle. Like it?

Full story: https://t.co/axIHy1XzWe #GayleForce pic.twitter.com/dXNGCAq4yc
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) July 1, 2016

Pooh Jeans – AC Milan

Being AC Milan’s first shirt sponsor the choice of company is questionable. An unfortunate name which in today’s world would be sent spiralling around the internet in an uncontrollable fashion. However back in the 1981/82 season, social media didn’t have the presence it does today, meaning that the number of comments about the shirt were limited. The Italian denim brand was popular and exclusive during the 1980s, meaning their sponsorship was highly regarded.

#TBT POOH JEANS! pic.twitter.com/71L39tCE0a
— Milan Club San Francisco (@ACMilanSF) April 2, 2021

Chupa Chups – Sheffield Wednesday

From the years 2000-2003 Chupa Chups were the sponsor of the Sheffield Wednesday kit. The Spanish brand of lollipops didn’t look good to the eye, as the yellow and red logo didn’t suit the backdrop of the blue and white stripes of the kit. Unlike some of the other sponsorships deals on this list, Chupa Chups provided the Owls with multiple seasons of service, which when you lower the bar to that standard, not many partnerships would fail.

It's a momentous day in Sheffield Wednesday's history. 14 years ago today Chupa Chups became the club sponsor. #swfc pic.twitter.com/0u87fYSILy
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) June 30, 2014

XL Airways – West Ham United

A sponsorship which failed more so because of financial problems. XL Airways sponsored West Ham for the 2007/08 season, well technically only half of that season because the sponsorship fell through mid-way through the campaign. The company collapsed due to the significant amount of debt they had, meaning West Ham were left without a sponsor for the second half of the season.