Dutch side FC Emmen forced to scrap sponsorship plans… with sex toy company in £500,000-a-year blow
DUTCH club FC Emmen have been forced to scrap a sex toy sponsorship leaving them frustrated and unsatisfied.
The Eredivisie outfit struck a lucrative £500,000-a-year deal to wear the name of local firm EasyToys on their shirts this season but the Dutch FA have pulled the plug.
But Holland’s football ruling body KNVB blocked their plans after a meeting earlier this week.
They announced: “It is not appropriate to display sponsorship linked to the sex industry on team shirts.
“We take account of the fact that football is and should be accessible to the young as well as the less young.”
The ruling has cost hard-up Emmen around £500k-a-seaaon, with the deal having been set to run for several years.
Chairman Ronald Lubbers is hoping for a U-turn on the Dutch FA’s bad vibe and plans to appeal.
He fumed: “We are surprised and dismayed at this decision.
“We won’t just drop our main sponsors and let the KNVB write them off. We’ll consider our next steps.
“We’ve had tough times due to the coronavirus crisis, and this makes matters worse.
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“The KNVB left us hanging on while they made their decision, and now it’s this.”
To make matters worse for Emmen, their local rivals Groningen have long had sponsorship from EasyToys’ parent company – and display their ads pitch-side during games.
But the KNVB added: “Clubs don’t need our permission for perimeter advertising – but they do for what goes on their shirts.”
Emmen are heading in to their third consecutive season in Holland’s top flight.
Their squad includes on-loan Everton striker Shani Tarashaj and Watford keeper Pontus Dahlberg, as well as ex-Fulham, Cardiff and Birmingham striker Kerim Frei.