Club of Neymar and Pele join Celtic in commercial link

By Euan Davidson

May 18, 2021

Like it or not, Celtic are sponsored by Dafabet.

It’s a controversial topic, which many supporters are against. Betting companies continue to directly target football fans, not least with shirt sponsorships. At Celtic Park, for example, you’ll see at least three betting companies advertising their wares.

However, it’s a fact of life. And so, we’re being treated to the “exciting” news that Brazilian giants Santos have joined Celtic in being sponsored by the betting company.

Yep, the club of Neymar and Pele have joined us, Sunderland, Burnley and others in the ‘Dafabet’ family. It’s like winning a fifth consecutive treble, such is the excitement.

Celtic announced the admittedly tenuous link on Twitter.

Santos responded, with a picture of their iconic striker Pele holding up the Hoops:

It’s the lads / (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

Very cool, but can Celtic benefit from ‘link’ with the club who brought us Neymar and Pele?

It’s hard to know if this benefits us in any way. You’d have thought, at the very least, that it might get a few Santos fans watching our matches. If that’s the case, no harm done.

It might lead to a pre-season tournament of sorts, or an easier route to Brazil for that kind of opportunity in the future. What it is unlikely to mean, however, is first dibs on Brazilian striker Kaio Jorge. The Brazil U20 star is tipped for massive things, having scored 12 goals already for Santos. A host of European clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Arsenal, are said to be interested [HITC].

Ultimately, though, it’s another damp squib of an announcement from Celtic. The fans don’t really care about who’s signed to the same shirt sponsor, they want to hear about a Sporting Director, a manager, and some new players coming in.

If Dominic McKay is reading, then please establish some kind of system where we get the best youth players from Brazil. Cheers.

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