A sponsorship deal making cricket legend Kevin Pietersen a brand ambassador for Dafabet has triggered questions around integrity within the sport.
Pietersen, a former England batsman and current specialist mentor for the national side, announced the deal on Monday on his X account.
“I’m proud to join Dafabet as their global ambassador. Dafabet is also about passion, energy and bringing people closer to the game we love, and that is something I’m excited to be a part of,” Pietersen said.
“I’m looking forward to this journey and creating something very special together, and sharing plenty of exciting moments with you all. This is just the beginning.”
The deal has, however, been brought to the attention of the England Cricket Board (ECB). Pietersen is reported to have assured the ECB that he will not promote Dafabet while representing England.
It comes with the backdrop of the ECB having unveiled a new voluntary code of conduct for professional cricket in the country last year.
With cricket, like many other sports, having undergone famous gambling-related scandals, the code was brought in to protect the sport, its players and its viewers.
The code has four key pillars: maintaining cricket integrity, protecting vulnerable audiences, reinvestment into the sport and socially responsible coverage.
There is no official rule preventing Pietersen from being a brand ambassador for the Philippine-headquartered bookmaker, but any deal generally comes under some scrutiny.
Contracts must clear the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) age-appeal guidelines, ECB image rights approval and anti-corruption compliance checks to ensure no crossover into match integrity.
Pietersen not the only England coach to have been in this situation
Former England red ball coach and current white ball coach, Brendon McCullum, ended up severing ties with gambling firm 22bet in April 2023, just three months after he became a brand ambassador for the Curacao-licensed operator.
The deal had been cleared following an ECB investigation but it appeared that McCullum thought a partnership was more hassle than it was worth as he disassociated with the brand.
One key similarity can be drawn between 22bet and Dafabet – both brands are reportedly active in multiple markets where they don’t hold a licence.
According to the Blask Index, Dafabet has a sizable presence in countries including India, Kuwait and Thailand – three countries where betting on cricket is illegal.
Dafabet does have a UK licence, but with Pietersen now abstaining from promoting the bookmaker while on England duty, it devalues the deal slightly.
As mentioned above, cricket has gone through some notable gambling scandals in the past, including when Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif deliberately spot-fixed and bowled no balls in Pakistan’s 2010 tour of England, and when current England bowler, Brydon Carse, was banned after placing 303 bets on various cricket matches between 2017 and 2019.
It is not like Dafabet is an unknown quantity in the world of cricket, or even in the UK.
The company is currently Scottish football club Celtic’s front-of-shirt sponsor, and has previously had similar deals with English clubs such as AFC Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Fulham, Sunderland, Norwich and Burnley.
Its cricket deals have included partnerships with South Africa’s Men’s and Women’s national teams, Cricket West Indies, and sponsorships of English clubs including Middlesex, Durham and Sussex.
Despite this company being a known quantity both within the sport and the country, there could be a possibility that, like McCullum, Pietersen may find the scrutiny of this deal more hassle than it is worth.
For now, he remains a global brand ambassador, though his video editing skills may need improving slightly…
