Man Utd left red-faced as £180m deal backfires after historic double cup disaster

Manchester United’s season of woe has gone from the pitch to the boardroom, leaving the club embarrassed after a high-profile sponsorship deal backfired.

The Red Devils entered the 2024/25 campaign boasting a mega-money £180million shirt deal with US tech giants Snapdragon. But while the Qualcomm subsidiary’s logo remains front and center, a secondary "levelled up" agreement has left them red-faced.

In a bid to showcase Microsoft’s new Copilot+PC range, United agreed to feature the brand’s logo on the back of the men’s first-team shirts for all domestic cup matches. The deal was meant to provide global exposure across the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

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At the time Qualcomm were thrilled with the deal, with their Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Don McGuire, explaining in July: "What better way to celebrate than once again with Manchester United? And of course, we leveled it up this time. The Copilot+ PC logo will be prominently featured on the back of the men’s kit for Snapdragon Cup at Old Trafford on August 9 and all domestic cup matches in the 2025/26 season, as well as all the women's and Academy team matches all season long.."

Unfortunately for men's first team, these extra cup matches amounted to just two games. The Red Devils were knocked out in the first round of the Carabao Cup in a humiliating defeat to Grimsby back in August.

Ruben Amorim's side managed a 2-2 draw before losing 12-11 in a nail-biting penalty shootout. Then, in their opening match of the FA Cup third round, they were eliminated at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Interim head coach Darren Fletcher's saw his team suffer a 2-1 home loss to the Seagulls – with former Red Devils player Danny Welbeck scoring the decisive goal.

It marks the first time since the 1981-82 season that United have lost their opening match in both domestic cups.

Consequently, the Copilot+PC logo only appeared twice out of a potential 13 times. However, the women's and academy teams will be using it throughout the season.

Snapdragon's sponsorship does not extend to the training kit – which is currently without a sponsor, causing United to lose out on millions of pounds.

They are, however, reportedly interested in securing the naming rights for the stadium which could result in the Theatre of Dreams officially being called Old Trafford@Snapdragon.

United unveiled scale models and images of what their new stadium, which is expected to cost £2billion, will look like at a London event earlier last year. However, several issues have arisen during the development phase, leading to delays.

Manchester United have been approached for comment.