The popularity of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) have shot over the roof in the last few months and footballers too have played a big role in promoting it. A host of footballers such as Paul Pogba, Neymar, Andrew Robertson to name a few, have taken to Twitter to showcase their purchases of these much sought after digital assets.
Chelsea legend John Terry too shared his NFT of a little monkey in full Chelsea kit with the captain’s armband however, the Englishman is currently under investigation from UEFA and other governing bodies over copyright infringement for promoting NFTs.
As clubs and governing bodies such as FIFA and UEFA have rights over the usage of the club logo, UEFA badges etc. in other digital avenues, Terry has come under fire for promoting digital token projects.
But it seems Terry would be able to have the last laugh here as new reports suggest that the Premier League is currently in talks with NFT makers for an officially licensed collection of digital tokens.
In light of this report, Terry took to Twitter to defend his project and prove all NFT doubters wrong as he wrote: “At first they laugh at you…Then they follow you”.
According to the Daily Mail report, PL authorities are in talks for a deal worth over £400m with several companies. One of the companies in the running for the partnership is the France based company, Sorare which are currently facing enquiries from the Gambling Commission for running digital projects without the proper licenses.
Terry’s tweet was aimed at the double standards displayed by footballing authorities and organizations. The addition of official licenses for NFTs would bring in large amounts of fresh income for the clubs and footballing bodies. But this potential for digital projects was only realized thanks to individual players such as Terry who have been promoting NFTs for some time now.
Terry has by now established himself as a big supporter of NFTs and would definitely be a valuable contact to have for Chelsea if the PL project pulls through.
