Huddersfield fined for kit sponsorship stunt

English second-tier club Huddersfield Town have been fined 50,000 pounds by the Football Association after a pre-season kit sponsorship stunt backfired.

Fans were left bemused and angry when Huddersfield, relegated from the Premier League last season, revealed in July a new home kit featuring a full length diagonal white sash sporting the name of betting company Paddy Power.

The team subsequently wore the kit in a pre-season friendly against Rochdale in which fans chanted their disapproval.

Huddersfield, who later admitted it was a publicity stunt and whose kit this season does not feature the name of their sponsor, were handed a misconduct charge as the shoulder to hip logo exceeded the FA’s guidelines of 250 square centimetres.

“Huddersfield Town FC has been fined £50,000 and warned as to its future conduct by an independent Regulatory Commission after admitting a charge in relation to The FA’s Kit and Advertising Regulations,” the FA said in a statement.

Huddersfield apologised to their fans for the stunt although Paddy Power, who sponsor the club, said at the time it had been done to highlight the “sacred” nature of club shirts which routinely have a sponsors’ logo plastered across the chest.

“Shirt sponsorship in football has gone too far,” Paddy Power managing director Victor Corcoran told the BBC at the time. “We accept that there is a role for sponsors around football, but the shirt should be sacred.”