Winamax out as major Bordeaux sponsor after mocking Twitter posts

Girondins de Bordeaux, the French Ligue 1 soccer club, has brought to an end its relationship with its main front-of-shirt sponsor Winamax after less than six months following posts on the gambling brand's Twitter account that were seen as mocking the team.

Initially, the brand’s logo and image on the front of the team’s matchday shirts will be replaced by the logo of Couer Marine et Blanc, the side’s charity foundation and partner. 

The decision to end the partnership with Winamax, struck last August and set to run until the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign, was taken after conversations between the two parties, Bordeauz’s general manager Thomas Jacquemier said. 

He added that a number of recent incidents had gone against the spirit of the partnership, such as Winamax responding to a question on Twitter prompting a sad story in three words by writing "Girondins de Bordeaux".

Jacquemier added, with regard to the new front-of-shirt partner: “We have been thinking about this project for a long time in order to highlight our foundation and the values of solidarity and commitment that are dear to the club.”

After the deal was officially terminated, Winamax posted on its Twitter account: “We’ve been looking for a good defense for an hour, but like Bordeaux, we can’t find it.”

When Winamax and Bordeaux entered their original agreement last August, the online betting firm replaced Bistro Regent, a local restaurant chain.

Bistro Regent, which had been Bordeaux’s primary partner since 2019, now instead serves as the club’s back-of-shirt sponsor in a deal that runs until 2024.

Winamax reunited with Bordeaux last year after a previous partnership with the Ligue 1 outfit between 2015 and 2019.

The betting brand has, as well as the front-of-shirt rights, had visibility on the club’s digital and social media channels and has activated the sponsorship through fan engagement activities at the team’s Matmut Atlantique stadium on matchdays.

Adidas, the German sportswear giant, is Bordeaux’s kit supplier and another major partner.

Winamax, meanwhile, is also a sponsor of Bordeaux’s Ligue 1 rival RC Lens.