Premier League clubs have this week collectively agreed to remove gambling sponsors from the front of matchday shirts by the end of the 2025/26 season.
The decision to reduce the prominence and overexposure of gambling companies from football is said to have been voluntary, with clubs still able to advertise betting brands on shirt sleeves, around stadiums and on advertising hoardings around the pitch.
There are currently eight English top-flight teams that still have betting brands as the primary sponsor on the front of their kits, but they will be allowed to secure shirt-front deals before the deadline.
Among those eight shirt sponsors alone, the clubs in question are said to earn around £60 million in revenue per year, but the impact it has on fans and young people, in particular, is an issue that has been continuously raised for some time now.
BREAKING: Premier League clubs collectively agree to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts at the end of the 2025/26 season 👕 pic.twitter.com/ox1tKy2dCZ
The announcement comes after a consultation between the division, its 20 clubs and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the government’s ongoing review of current gambling legislation.
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Following the decision being confirmed on Thursday, 13 April, the Premier League is now set to become the first sports league in the UK to take such measures voluntarily and there has been a push to reduce gambling advertising throughout the footballing pyramid for some time now.
It was only in October this past year that Bolton Wanderers led the charge to phase gambling out of football and sport in general by severing all ties with any betting-related organisations.
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The league is now also working with other disciplines on the development of a new code for ‘responsible gambling sponsorship’ throughout British sport, with a full gambling white paper expected to be published by the government in the near future.
The decision looks to be a positive step for English football and one which could, in time, see a great impact around Europe and further afield.
Britain’s Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer welcomed the news, stating: “The vast majority of adults gamble safely, but we have to recognise that footballers are role models who have enormous influence on young people.
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“We want to work with institutions like the Premier League to do the right thing for young fans.”
Moreover, the push to reduce the reach that betting companies isn’t just happening in football but even in the virtual space, with a European court recently ruling FIFA packs to be a form of gambling too.
Victim named and murder investigation launched after young woman is killed in Newton Heath stabbing
Emily Sergeant
The victim of a street stabbing in Newton Heath this week has been named for the first time as a murder investigation continues.
It comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) responded to reports of a disturbance at around 2am yesterday (Thursday 15 October) on Dorking Avenue, in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, and when they arrived on the scene, they found a woman in her 20s with serious injuries that were ‘consistent with a stabbing’.
Despite best efforts of all emergency services involved, the young woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
As the murder investigation progresses, the woman has now been publicly named and a photo of her has been released for the first time.
She has been named as 26-year-old Alisha Samuels.
At this time, one man, aged 25, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and a man and woman, aged 61 and 38, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and they all remain in custody – with officers continuing their enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
Alisha’s family have asked for privacy whilst they deal with the devastating loss of their loved one, GMP has stated.
“We are continuing to urge people who may have information in relation to this incident to please come forward to support our investigation and bring justice for Alisha,” the police force said in a public appeal.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has mobile phone, CCTV, or doorbell footage, is urged to call GMP on 0161 856 5464, or contact them via the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Featured Image – GMP (Family Handout)
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Former supply teacher jailed for multiple upskirting and AI sex offences across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A former supply teacher has been jailed for multiple upskirting and AI sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester.
Abusali Rahman – a British national of Bangladeshi ethnicity from Salford – appeared in Bolton Crown Court this week for his sentencing after first being charged with, and then pleading guilty to, several offences.
The offences are including, but not limited to, 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child (images obtained by upskirting), three counts of making indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (making AI-generated images), and one count of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2023 and June 2025, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Twelve girls have been identified in relation to the upskirting offences – aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending – at seven high schools in three Greater Manchester boroughs (Bury, Bolton, and Salford).
GMP says it has remained in close contact with the schools, local authorities, and other partners throughout the investigation to ensure all appropriate support is in place for those who need it.
Additionally, the court also heard how Rahman amassed a collection of images of young girls, using AI and other methods to sexualise them.
The images numbered more than 300 in total, ranging from Category A to Category C classifications, and Rahman would post these on social media, often alongside humiliating and disgusting captions.
Rahman was sentenced to six years in prison, and will also be subject to a 20-year Sexual Harm Protection Order.
A former supply teacher has been jailed for child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
Detective Constable Lisa McGaffin, from GMP’s Bolton Child Protection Team, described Rahman’s crimes as ‘absolutely abhorrent’.
“My thoughts throughout this process have always been with the young girls who have been subject to such indignity,” DC McGaffin said following the sentencing this week. “Their welfare and support will always be a priority for us.
“While working as a teacher – someone who young children should trust and be safe with – Rahman repeatedly took secret photos for his own sick gratification, before posting images online which showed his total disregard for the girls’ respect and dignity.
Danny Jones -
13th April 2023 
