Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen has welcomed the Premier League's decision to ban clubs from signing shirt sponsorship deals with gambling companies. The Icelandic forward, who won two Premier League titles with Chelsea and later the Champions League with Barcelona, lost an estimated £6 million to gambling during his playing career.
Gudjohnsen, now 44, described the ban as a positive move that should have been implemented sooner. 'What is it that highlights a club? It's the shirt sponsor. You have every football fan, every kid in the world, with their eyes on the shirts of our biggest clubs every single day,' he said. 'Advertising is so influential. I think the ban sends out a really big, positive message.'
Eight Premier League clubs currently have betting firms as shirt sponsors, generating an estimated £60 million annually. The ban, which will take effect by 2026, still allows gambling logos on shirt sleeves and pitch-side advertising. Gudjohnsen recalled Barcelona's shirt sponsorship with UNICEF as an example of promoting a worthy cause.
The former striker has thrown his support behind the #TalkMoreThanFootball campaign, a collaboration between Chelsea, Three UK, and Samaritans to encourage conversations about mental health. He opened up about his own gambling addiction, which began during an injury layoff, and urged footballers to seek help rather than turn to quick fixes.
