Arsenal supporters and pro-Palestinian activists have criticised the club’s new sponsorship deal with Deel, whose Israeli co-founder publicly backed Israel during the Gaza genocide.
English Premier League champions Arsenal FC have come under fire after unveiling a new sleeve sponsor linked to Israeli founders and pro-Israel statements made during the war on the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The London club announced that US-based payroll and HR company Deel will feature on the team's left sleeve from the 2026-2027 season under a multi-year agreement.
This comes as Arsenal officially won the English Premier League title on Tuesday for the first time in 22 years, after rivals Manchester City only managed a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.
The move sparked backlash among some Arsenal supporters, football fans and pro-Palestinian activists, who accused the club of partnering with a company linked to support for Israel during its war on the Gaza Strip , which has killed more than 75,800 Palestinians since October 2023.
Deel was co-founded by Israeli nationals Alex Bouaziz and Ofer Simon, alongside Chinese-born entrepreneur Shuo Wang.
Bouaziz, who is based in Tel Aviv and grew up between France and Israel, posted "Am Yisrael Chai" on social media following the events of 7 October and expressed support for company employees called up as Israeli military reservists.
Critics online pointed to the statement while condemning Arsenal’s decision to partner with the company.
One supporter described the sponsorship as "shameful".
"Deel is not only founded by an Israeli, but has expressed Zionist support while conducting operations in the occupied Palestinian territory. Absolutely disgraceful that this club even considered partnering with them," Arsenal supporter Ash wrote on X.
Another fan said the deal made him reconsider buying Arsenal's new shirt despite purchasing one every season.
"This Deel nonsense is absolutely disgusting me. I hate the fact that a brand related to such atrocities is in cahoots with my club," the fan wrote.
The backlash has been amplified by the fact that Arsenal's previous sleeve sponsor was Rwanda's tourism board through the "Visit Rwanda" campaign, which included coaching camps and community football initiatives involving both Arsenal's men's and women's teams. Top Premier League teams sponsored by pro-Israeli firms The controversy also comes amid broader scrutiny of links between Premier League clubs and companies accused by activists of profiting from or supporting Israel’s occupation and war in Gaza.
A new report by UK-based charity War on Want accused several Premier League clubs of partnering with companies it says are "complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation, apartheid and genocide of the Palestinian people".
The report, titled 'Red Card: English Premier League Complicity in Israel's Atrocities against the Palestinians', named Arsenal alongside clubs including Liverpool , Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Among the companies highlighted were AXA, HSBC, Cisco, Expedia, Coca-Cola and Standard Chartered.
War on Want argued that football sponsorships were increasingly being used for "sportswashing", where companies accused of involvement in human rights abuses seek to improve their public image through associations with major sports clubs.
Neil Sammonds, senior campaigner on Palestine at War on Want, said: "These clubs speak proudly about equality, inclusion and community. Yet behind the branding, some are using ‘sportswashing’ to sanitise corporations connected to some of the gravest crimes and humanitarian catastrophes of our time."
The report also highlighted the destruction of Palestinian football infrastructure during the Gaza war, alleging that hundreds of sports facilities had been damaged or destroyed and more than 500 members of the Palestinian Football Association had been killed since October 2023.
This is not the first time Arsenal has faced controversy related to Israel and Gaza.
Last year, long-serving Arsenal kitman Mark Bonnick was dismissed after criticising Israel’s conduct in Gaza on social media. During the fallout, Bonnick became the target of an online smear campaign led by pro-Israel accounts.
The Premier League has not publicly responded to the War on Want report.
The New Arab contacted Arsenal F.C., Deel and Arsenal supporter groups for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.