Leicester City spark backlash after club's sponsor announces deal with porn star

Leicester City are facing a backlash from supporters after the club's sponsor announced a controversial partnership with a * star.

Leicester have had BC Game, an unlicenced online cryptocurrency gaming platform, as their front-of-shirt sponsor since 2024. The company's presence on the Foxes' shirts as they plummeted from the Premier League to League One in successive seasons was already a bone of contention for some fans.

And now BC Game has sparked renewed anger by teaming up with Eva Elfie, a Russian adult content creator. In a video which is packed full of * references and has been viewed 6 million times on X, Elfie is seen accepting her BC Game contract.

The post has caused a stir among BC Game's eSports fanbase, as well as Leicester supporters. One fan group, called Foxes Trust, has released an angry statement condemning the move. "Most Leicester City supporters will know by now the Trust's dismay and discontent with BC Game being our front of shirt sponsor," it reads.

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"BC Game have now announced a new partnership with 'international content creator and Esports personality' Eva Elfie... who just happens to be an international * star.

"From the moment the Club decided to take sponsorship from a betting company, we felt Leicester City were ditching its values. Our first article in July 2024 said that 'It doesn't feel like who LCFC are to have a gambling website on our shirts and seems to be another step away from our well run family club reputation'.

"The Club has not only partnered with a gambling company, but chosen one that is unlicensed to operate in the UK, has unanswered questions about the legitimacy of its funding and its origins, and allows clients to 'game' using cryptocurrencies.

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"Now throw into the mix that BC Game have entered into a partnership with someone who continues to make their name via adult content. Both gambling and * can have devastating impacts on people's lives, in particular young people. Partnerships like these bring these two worlds to a larger audience and, by association, link them to Leicester City. Is this who we are now?

"Our end of season survey showed 73% of fans felt negative about the relationship, and only 5% were content with it. As always our message is, if you're purchasing an LCFC replica shirt, opt for one that doesn't have the BC Game logo on it."

Mirror Football contacted Leicester City but has not received a response. But in the press release announcing the partnership in the summer of 2024, the club proudly boasted about BC Game being "community-based", "safe", "fair and secure".

The real reason behind their enthusiasm was plain for all to see, with the first line saying the deal was "one of the most valuable in Leicester City’s history", while chief executive Susan Whelan noted the club's "ability to attract high-value partners" after they were promoted to the Premier League.

Leicester were relegated after one campaign in the top flight in 2024/25 and subsequently dropped another division to League One. Had they stayed in the Premier League, then the partnership with BC Game - which lost its licence to operate in the UK in December 2024 - would no longer be allowed.

Premier League clubs voted to get rid of front-of-shirt gambling sponsors in April 2023 and the ban came into effect at the start of the 2026/27 season. Before that ban began, obscure gambling companies had become part of the furniture of elite football, often targeting clients in markets where gambling is illegal.