Lefevere argues gambling sponsorship ban, proposes creation of separate team equipments

With the news that a law is likely to be approved soon that will prevent gambling companies from advertising in Belgium, many of cycling's top teams will have issues as they are heavy investors in the sport. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team is one of them, and Patrick Lefevere has talked about the topic in his weekly column. 

In Het Nieuwsblad, the manager of the Belgian team - which has Napoleon Games as a key sponsor - has told: "These are great gifts that we as a sports sector receive from politicians: after the social security contribution has been adjusted, they are now also going to take away our sponsors. As if the budgets are not under enough pressure after two Covid years," he said, clearly displeased.

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“They [Napoleon Games] represent just under twenty percent of my budget. We have an ongoing contract with them up to and including 2024. It would be no small thing if a line were to be drawn through that," Lefevere added. With the team's budget estimated to be around 25 million euros - according to the Statista Research Department in 2021 - a 20% share would mean an investment of just over 6 million euros; money that would have to be provided by another sponsor which can be a complicated task.

Lefevere has talked about possible solutions however, none of which though would be logistically simple, and would be quite a challenge to organize what is essentially a different set of equipments, depending on if the team is racing in Belgium or outside of it.

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"In the Netherlands, the legislation on gambling advertising has just become more liberal, in Belgium it is banned. So they have to think about different branding in the Netherlands and in Belgium," Lefevere said. "It is an option that we do not rule out with us: one Quick-Step jersey for the races in Belgium, one with betting advertising for abroad."

He tells however that it's just an idea for the time being, but it can be a possibility for the team's future in the coming years. "Ultimately, we only drive one in five competitions in our own country. If Napoleon Games is open to that, that is negotiable. Of course we will respect the law," he concluded.