São Paulo and Fluminense switch shirt brands to preserve Superbet deals

São Paulo and Fluminense have adopted sports statistics platform Superscore as an alternative shirt brand under their Superbet sponsorship arrangements, seeking to preserve commercial relationships disrupted by Brazil’s restrictions on betting advertising.Superscore belongs to the same corporate group as Superbet but does not operate as a betting platform, providing an alternative identity for the principal sponsorship position while the regulatory situation remains contested.São Paulo first displayed the replacement branding against Cruzeiro on October 7, with Fluminense also adopting the approach under their agreement with the betting group.The arrangements were initially presented as temporary measures while the clubs and sponsor assessed the restrictions and awaited developments in legal challenges.Superbet has reportedly maintained the contractual conditions of its sponsorship agreements, allowing the clubs to retain the relationships while changing the brand receiving exposure.That response differs from terminating a betting partnership and finding an unrelated replacement, with the existing sponsor group continuing to use the commercial inventory through another business.The supplied reporting describes Superscore as outside the prohibition because it is a statistics service, although it does not establish a specific regulatory ruling approving the shirt arrangements.The distinction matters because the use of a separate corporate brand and the interpretation of advertising restrictions are different questions, particularly while the underlying measure faces challenges.The provisional measure has affected a substantial part of Brazilian football’s sponsorship market, with 13 of the 20 Série A clubs reported to have betting companies as their principal shirt partners.Some sponsors have retained agreements despite losing their usual exposure, reflecting expectations within the industry that the restrictions could be suspended.Broadcasters’ association Abert, betting industry body ANJL and the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming have sought intervention from the Supreme Federal Court.In its challenge, Abert said: “The provisional measure dismantles, through a unilateral act, an authorisation that the executive branch itself proposed to Congress, sanctioned and implemented.”That argument forms part of the legal opposition to the measure rather than a judicial finding that the restrictions are invalid.The effect of the provisional measure also extends beyond shirt advertising, with Superbet suspending its Supersocial service for an indefinite period linked to the duration of the restrictions.The service allowed customers to share betting slips, follow other accounts and copy selections, making it a separate operational issue from the continued promotion of Superscore.Superbet said user content and histories would remain stored but would not be visible during the suspension.For São Paulo and Fluminense, the immediate commercial response has been to preserve the sponsor relationship through alternative branding, with the longer-term arrangement dependent on the regulatory outcome.