Sunderland's Shirt Sponsor Dafabet Has Them as Favourites to Be Relegated

In terms of awkward shirt sponsor-club relations, this one has to be especially weird.

Sunderland are (again) off to a miserable start in the Premier League and are Dafabet's favourites to be relegated—so much so that the betting website has given them 5-8 odds on facing the drop. 

This much is normal for a team that's lost both of its matches and has the league's worst goal differential. 

What's not normal is that Dafabet is Sunderland's shirt sponsor. 

So on the very site that openly supports Sunderland, the smart money is on their non-survival. 

"

#SAFC have been made odds-on favourite to be relegated from the Premier League - by their own shirt sponsor, Dafabet. pic.twitter.com/pn5blIOlpG

— FutbolTalkzone (@FutbolTalkzone) August 19, 2015"

Screngrab

Well then. On the bright side... 

"

#SAFC 0-3 #NCFC Don’t worry, Sunderland fans—it always works -Start poorly -Sack manager -Improve -Stay up -Repeat pic.twitter.com/cR0cqoagdw

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) August 15, 2015"

[Daily Mail]