By Thursday, sharp-eyed supporters were already putting two and two together when a Sky Sports promo for Sunday’s game showed Kyle Walker in a Burnley shirt with no sponsor.
That was puzzling, given Burnley had worn kits throughout pre-season with Finotive One across the chest.
Even last Saturday, during the Carabao Cup first-round tie against Notts County, the logo was still on display.
Soon after, fans noticed every news item about the Finotive One agreement had disappeared from Burnley’s official website.
And on Friday morning, Burnley confirmed the deal had been scrapped “to protect the club’s interests, and those of our supporters”.
It isn’t the first time the Lancashire club have encountered difficulty with their shirt sponsor.
LoveBet, an Asian betting brand, signed a three-year contract but was replaced after only two years due to financial problems.
That switch came shortly after AIK Capital bought the club in December 2020.
Amid criticism of the gambling connection, new chairman Alan Pace wrote on X that the issue would be examined “as part of the overall commercial strategy for the club”.
He added: “There may be some historic contractual obligations, but it’s an issue I’ll be reviewing with my team for the long-term.”
Nevertheless, under AIK Capital’s ownership, betting companies have largely dominated Burnley’s sponsorships.
Aside from a one-season deal in 2022-23 with Classic Football Shirts, every front-of-shirt sponsor in the AIK Capital era was linked to gambling until this season.
LoveBet was succeeded by SpreadEx, a fixed-odds and spread-betting firm.
After Classic Football Shirts, Philippines-based betting company W88 took over.
In 2024, Burnley signed a controversial two-year agreement with 96.com, a betting site operated by TGP Europe.
Last year, the Gambling Commission issued a warning to Burnley and three other clubs over links to sites run by the company, which had surrendered its British gambling licence.
An investigation found TGP Europe had failed to “carry out sufficient checks on business partners” and had breached “anti-money laundering rules”.
In seeking a replacement for 96.com, Burnley took an unconventional route.
Finotive One, a Cyprus-registered company describing itself as an “all-in-one ecosystem” for traders, offered little clarity about its operations or customer base.
Vertu Motors, a partner of Burnley since 2022, stepped in to fill the gap.
With the last-minute change, the terms of Vertu’s deal are unknown, but Burnley were unlikely to hold a strong negotiating position.
Just weeks ago, the Finotive One agreement looked like the most lucrative option available.
Yet after only six weeks, the partnership has collapsed, leaving the club embarrassed.