October 13: Corinthians have signed Shopee as the main shirt sponsor for the final nine matches of the Brasileirão, the latest quick fix in a Brazilian sponsorship market turned upside down by the government’s betting ban.
The e-commerce platform replaces Esportes da Sorte on the front of the shirt, with additional exposure via LED boards in the Neo Química Arena and on the club’s digital channels. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The interesting part is how quickly Corinthians’ business image has changed.
Esports da Sorte had been paying R$150 million a year guaranteed under a deal until 2029, with bonuses capable of bringing that figure to R$200 million. The contract has not been formally broken, but the bookmaker can no longer advertise while the new rules remain in place.
This has resulted in Corinthians selling their most valuable inventory on a much shorter leash.
Jota.ai paid R$1 million for a main sponsorship of a match against Internazionale earlier this month before agreeing a separate deal under the shirt. Days earlier, escort platform Fatal Model had offered R$ 120 million for a year for the main position, an approach that Corinthians confirmed it had received, but was reluctant to pursue as talks continued with Esportes da Sorte.
The club already had another link with the same group through Fatal Fans, whose sponsorship of the R$22 million shorts was later suspended by a court in São Paulo amid concerns about exposing a brand of adult content to younger fans, and rightly so.
Shopee is a much less controversial landing spot. He already works with Flamengo and has used up a short-term shirt contract with Internacional, so his move to the front of the Corinthians shirt is not just a reaction to the betting gap.
Corinthians president Osmar Stabile said: “Shopee is a global company, a giant in its sector, and we are delighted with the partnership. Their arrival enhances our brand and strengthens our relationship with our fans.”
What is happening in Corinthians is repeated, in different forms, throughout Brazil.
Flamengo and Fluminense took advantage of Sunday’s Fla-Flu derby to make their dissatisfaction public, replacing Betano and Superbet with the slogan “Proibir não é proteger” – “Prohibiting is not protecting” – in a coordinated protest with the two betting companies.
The message also appeared in the stands, where supporters directly criticized President Lula, Congress and the Federal Supreme Court.
Elsewhere, Atlético Mineiro have already ended their H2Bet deal, while other clubs have switched to sister brands, partner programs or one-off sponsors.
Fourteen of the 20 clubs had bookmakers occupying prominent shirt positions before the move came into effect. As a whole, the sector generated an estimated R$ 1.03 billion for top-tier clubs by 2025.
Shopee gives Corinthians a temporary answer until December and some financial spirit. The biggest question looming over Brazilian soccer is what replaces betting money after that, and how much of it can actually be replaced.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
