TL;DR
- The UK’s National Crime Agency froze more than £10 million ($13.5M) in a Premier League bank account.
- The frozen funds correspond to Sorare’s first payment under its $140M sponsorship deal with the Premier League, signed in 2023.
- UK authorities clarified that the Premier League is not under suspicion of any wrongdoing; the investigation targets third parties.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK froze more than £10 million ($13.5 million) deposited in a Premier League bank account, as part of an investigation into alleged links between those funds and criminal activity by third parties. The freezing order was obtained before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in January 2025, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
According to a report by The Sun, the measure imposed by UK authorities relates to the first payment made by Sorare under its $140 million, four-year sponsorship deal with the Premier League, signed in 2023 and terminated at the end of last season. The NCA stressed that there is no suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of the league. “The purpose of the order is to prevent the dissipation of funds while the NCA investigates possible links between those funds and alleged crimes by third parties,” an agency spokesperson stated in an emailed release. The agency did not specify the exact nature of the offence under investigation.
The UK Scrutinizes Crypto Sponsorships in Football
The NCA investigation is directly linked to regulatory scrutiny of sponsorship agreements between crypto firms and football clubs in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority had already warned Premier League clubs that partnerships with unauthorized crypto companies could breach financial services legislation.
This case is separate from a formal charge brought by the Gambling Commission against Sorare in September 2024, which accused it of operating gambling facilities without a licence, marking the first legal action against a blockchain-based platform under the Gambling Act 2005. Sorare denies any wrongdoing in both matters.
The platform operates a fantasy sports game using digital player cards, which initially ran exclusively on cryptocurrencies such as ETH and SOL, before allowing cash transactions in August 2023. Its ambassadors have included Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Zinedine Zidane. The Premier League requested modifications to the terms of the freezing order, which remains in force until September 14, at a court hearing held on Monday.
