Real Madrid In Trouble Over Bwin Sponsorship 

Austrian online gambling provider Bwin has been warned that a friendly soccer match between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt scheduled for August 12 in Germany could be suspended if its logo is not removed from the Spanish team’s shirts.

The warning came last week from the Interior Ministry for the central German state of Hesse. It referred to an October ruling from the local Administration Court that decreed private online betting operators such as Bwin were prohibited from advertising their services within the state.

The game has already sold out with a crowd of over 50,000 expected and the Interior Ministry has ordered organisers Sportfive to ensure that Real Madrid does not play in shirts bearing the Bwin logo.

In a similar case last year in a match between AC Milan and Bayern Munich, authorities issued a warning to the Italian club, also sponsored by Bwin, for carrying the online gaming company's logo on their shirts. Local German authorities fined AC Milan $157,507 for playing with the shirts despite the team’s assertion that they were allowed to wear them under European law.