Barely heard of in Britain until it launched a spree of Premier League club sponsorships in 2016, the online gambling platform SportPesa has since spread its name across football, rugby, horseracing and Formula One, associating its branding with good works in Africa. At Everton, where SportPesa is the main sponsor, its name is prominent all over Goodison Park, the club have been in Kenya for a pre-season tour, and they promote SportPesa’s “Kits for Africa” initiative, with a donation bin in the club store.
Everton’s chief executive, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, wrote in the club’s annual report: “We value our developing relationship with SportPesa, who have demonstrated a strong alignment with our values.” A spokesperson for Everton, who describe themselves as “the people’s club”, said Barrett-Baxendale was referring to the sponsor’s support for the club’s extensive community work, which she herself pioneered in the deprived areas around Goodison Park.
Written by David Conn, Lionel Faull and Atanas Tchobanov
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/18/sportpesa-gambling-company-premier-league-kenya under the title “How gambling giant SportPesa made waves in Africa – and Premier League”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
