The sponsor on Stuttgart's jersey has been banned

When Champions League matches are played, the aesthetics of the teams undergo minor changes, both regarding the font of names and numbers and commercial sponsors. Starting from this new edition of the Champions League, UEFA has introduced an important new rule concerning betting sponsors. These can no longer be displayed on club jerseys, which is why you might have noticed something unusual about Stuttgart's jersey last night. The Germans were forced to remove the Winamax logo from their shirt; Winamax is a French gambling company known for sponsoring Saint-Étienne from 2008 to 2015. The removal of the sponsor is due to the new UEFA rule that prohibits clubs from featuring logos or symbols related to the gambling industry. The same rule was applied to Aston Villa in their away game against Young Boys, where they replaced Betano with Acorns, a California-based technology and financial services company.

It is unclear why Stuttgart chose not to replace Winamax for their Champions League debut, but the decision is likely related to timing issues. The aesthetic result, however, is far from satisfactory: a white band horizontally crosses the club’s away shirt, giving a sense of obvious incompleteness. Aston Villa, on the other hand, with Acorns branding, achieved a more harmonious result in line with the Away shirt design. Considering that 55% of Premier League teams have a betting-related sponsor, but none of these, except for the Villans, are qualified for the current edition of the Champions League, Aston Villa's sponsor change remains a unique case. Although this is the first season this particular rule is in effect, it is not the first time we have seen a jersey design modified by UEFA. However, it is certainly the first time a commercial sponsor has been banned.

When UEFA Rejected Inter and Ajax Designs

In 2021, UEFA's rule prevented Inter from showcasing the famous Away shirt with the "Biscione" design. UEFA’s rules are clear: jerseys with pictorial patterns, i.e., images, illustrations, or symbols, are prohibited. It doesn’t matter if such symbols are clear references to the club or the city. This rule highlights the urgency to update some stylistic rules that limit and compromise the work of designers and clubs throughout the year. The same rule, also in 2021, forced Ajax to modify one of the most iconic shirts of that season: the third shirt dedicated to Bob Marley. In that case, UEFA referred to paragraph 19.1 of the regulations, which prohibits expressions other than the club and sponsor logos, as three little birds were on the collar. A decision that, as always, invites reflection, as these pictorial patterns do not compromise either UEFA's identity or integrity or the club’s.

Fortunately for Stuttgart, from the 2025/26 season, they will switch from Winamax to LBBW, the German bank headquartered in Stuttgart. What is certain is that the club will most likely play the next 7 matches – at least – with an unattractive jersey, unless they choose to follow Aston Villa’s example.