Baggies may lose shirt deal over Anelka

West Bromwich Albion shirt sponsor, Zoopla, has warned the club to axe Nicolas Anelka or risk their lucrative shirt deal being scrapped.

Zoopla, a property and house prices website company, has delivered an ultimatum to Albion by threatening to pull out of its contract if Anelka plays in the Premier League game against Everton at the Hawthorns on Monday night.

Anelka is under investigation by the Football Association and facing a potentially lengthy suspension after his controversial ‘quenelle’ goal celebration that has been described as anti-Semitic by Jewish organisations.

West Bromwich Albion shirt sponsor, Zoopla, has warned the club to axe Nicolas Anelka or risk their lucrative shirt deal being scrapped.

Zoopla, a property and house prices website company, has delivered an ultimatum to Albion by threatening to pull out of its contract if Anelka plays in the Premier League game against Everton at the Hawthorns on Monday night.

Anelka is under investigation by the Football Association and facing a potentially lengthy suspension after his controversial ‘quenelle’ goal celebration that has been described as anti-Semitic by Jewish organisations.

Zoopla is co-owned by Alex Chesterman, a Jewish businessman, and it is understood to have been left stunned by Albion’s decision to keep Anelka in the team while the investigation is ongoing.

Zoopla’s deal was officially confirmed in June 2012 and expires at the end of the season. It is believed to be worth £3m over two years and is the largest sponsorship in the club’s history. The Baggies are understood to be considering possible short-term replacements.

It is not the first time a Premier League sponsor has become involved with contentious issues surrounding a club’s players. Two years ago Standard Chartered, the multinational banking and financial services company, criticised Liverpool forward Luis Suárez for refusing to shake the hand of Patrice Evra, the Manchester United defender.

And in 2011 John Terry’s main sponsor Umbro also distanced itself from the Chelsea captain by removing all pictures of him from its website after he was charged for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

However, this believed to be the first time that a club has been in danger of losing a shirt sponsorship. They have become an important funding stream for clubs, although the amounts received by top clubs like Manchester United dwarf those going even to less high profile clubs in the Premier League.