WhaleFin End Chelsea Sleeve Sponsorship Deal, Atlético Madrid Next?
- WhaleFin-Chelsea Deal Termination: Crypto firm WhaleFin terminated their €23 million a season sleeve sponsorship with Chelsea after just seven months due to financial difficulties stemming from the FTX collapse.
- Amber Group Financial Struggles: WhaleFin's parent company, Amber Group, has experienced significant financial setbacks, including staff layoffs, office closures, and reduced funding, leading to the Chelsea deal termination.
- Atlético Madrid Sponsorship in Jeopardy: WhaleFin's financial woes and the cancellation of the Chelsea deal raise concerns about the future of their €42 million a season main shirt sponsorship with Atlético Madrid.
Crypto firm WhaleFin have ended there €23 million a season sleeve sponsorship deal with Chelsea after only seven months due to financial difficulties. Could they end their Atlético Madrid sponsorship deal too?
Whalefin End Chelsea Deal
In May 2022, Cryptocurrency firm WhaleFin agreed to pay Chelsea €23 million a season to have their logo appear on the sleeves of their kits. Just seven months later, they have cancelled the deal. WhaleFin is owned by the Singapore-based Amber Group, who have been negatively impacted by the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange and are cutting costs in lots of areas.
Amber Group have reportedly sacked 40% of their staff and sent their remaining employees to work from home, having terminated the leases they had on office space. They have also put European and US expansion plans on hold. The company also fell short in their fund-raising efforts this year, bringing in only half of the expected $100 million. No information has emerged regarding what payments WhaleFin have already made to Chelsea, or how much of the $23 million the club will actually receive in the end.
Bad News for Atlético Madrid?
As well as the Chelsea deal, WhaleFin also signed on as the main shirt sponsor of Atlético Madrid in summer 2022. The contract is worth €42 million a season and is due to run for five years, but the cancellation of the Chelsea deal along with the money saving measures recently undertaken are not good omens. If WhaleFin's financial difficulties continue, they will likely have to reassess the financial commitment of the Atlético deal.
Already known to be highly volatile, the whole crypto sector has suffered from the FTX collapse. WhaleFin pulling the plug on their Chelsea deal, as well as Digitalbits failing to make payments to Inter as part of their agreement should be interpreted as warning signs for any clubs that have partnered with crypto firms, especially Atlético Madrid. Chelsea will be on the hunt for a new sleeve sponsor to fill the gap left by WhaleFin, and Atlético Madrid will likely take some cautionary steps just in case they too will need to find a new partner.
Do you think other crypto firms who have gotten into football club sponsorship will start pulling out of their deals too? Comment below.
Adidas Originals Fenerbahçe 26-27 Goalkeeper Kit Released
Fenerbahçe and Adidas have officially released the green 26-27 goalkeeper kit featuring the iconic Trefoil logo. Designed as part of the Turkish club's away gear, the long-sleeved green and navy template worn by goalkeeper Ederson Moraes has now gone on sale in both the club's flagship Fenerium Maraton store and online via Fenerium for 6,999 TL.
David Beckham Teases New Adidas Predator 26 Signature Boots
David Beckham has taken to Instagram to tease his upcoming Adidas Predator 26 signature football boots. Sharing close-up preview shots to his story alongside a "48 hours to go..." countdown tagging Adidas Football, the England legend provided the first official glimpse of the boots ahead of their imminent release on Tuesday, October 6.
Following previous signature editions in 2024 and 2025, this 26-27 release marks the third consecutive year that Adidas has honored Beckham with a bespoke Predator model. The cleat features a clean white and vibrant red palette inspired by England. Prominently displayed in the teaser images are Beckham's iconic free-kick silhouette on the heel, custom "BECKHAM" lettering across the elastic tongue strap, and a bold red Adidas Originals Trefoil visible through the translucent soleplate beneath an all-over Trefoil pattern.
Built on the standard Predator 26 silhouette with a classic fold-over tongue, the boot balances modern performance technology with nostalgic heritage styling. The timing of the launch also aligns with the 25th anniversary of Beckham's famous stoppage-time free-kick against Greece on October 6, 2001, capping off a major commemorative week for the brand and its long-time ambassador.
Amiens SC Add Pink Details to 26-27 Home Kit for Pink October
French side Amiens SC have introduced a special update to their 26-27 Puma home kit in support of the annual Octobre Rose (Pink October) breast cancer awareness and screening campaign. Debuted during their 3-0 victory against FC Villefranche at the Stade Crédit Agricole de la Licorne, the club's traditional black-and-white halved home strip was revamped with vibrant pink details.
The customized kit features eye-catching pink names and squad numbers on the back, along with pink-tinted sponsor graphics, including Intersport and Igol. Completing the tribute is a small pink ribbon placed prominently on the right chest just above the Puma cat branding.
Amiens SC confirmed that the special pink printing is not a one-match appearance; the team will also wear the modified kit during their upcoming away match against Valenciennes FC later this month.
Alianza Universidad 2026 Special Kit Released
Peruvian club Alianza Universidad de Huánuco and local manufacturer Real Sport have officially unveiled a special commemorative kit for the 2026 season. Launched under the slogan "Vestimos nuestra fe" (We wear our faith), the release embraces Peru's deep-rooted October tradition of donning purple to pay homage to religious heritage, specifically honoring the Señor de Burgos, the patron saint of Huánuco.
The Real Sport Alianza Universidad 2026 special shirt swaps the team's customary red and blue palette for a striking purple and white striped look. It features bold purple vertical stripes across the front, complemented by a purple crew neck and matching sleeve trim on white sleeves. On the upper back sits an intricate graphic badge depicting the Señor de Burgos, accompanied by the inscription "Rey y Patrón de Huánuco", while squad numbers are rendered in gold with purple outlines.
The special edition kit is set to make its on-pitch debut during October Liga 2 action and is currently available via pre-order through the club's official channels.
Adidas Reuses Spain’s 2026 Training Kits
During recent UEFA Nations League training sessions, Spain was spotted using old training jerseys with one star removed and two additional stars printed above the logo. The imprint of the old star remains visible on the shirts.
This case is reminiscent of another interesting situation involving the Argentina futsal team at the 2021 Futsal World Cup. Despite being the defending champions, Argentina was not provided bespoke kits by Adidas and had to use standard jerseys, from which two stars were removed and replaced with one, as they had only won the Futsal World Cup once.
Big thanks to @whatthekit_x for the collages.
Chelsea 26-27 Home Kit Leaked
Based on leaked details from myach_lab, our partner @whatthekit_x have created a mockup of the Chelsea 2026-27 shirt. The design combines a blue base with yellow details and a distinctive checkered sleeve pattern, while the Nike and Chelsea logos are placed centrally. The simplified lion crest from this season is also retained.
