The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen $13.5 million held in an account belonging to the Premier League as part of an active investigation into crypto-based fantasy sports platform Sorare. According to Cointelegraph, UK authorities secured the freeze under an order issued by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in January 2025, allowing the agency to restrain the funds while the probe continues.
The money is linked to a sponsorship deal between England’s top-flight football division and Sorare, a blockchain-enabled fantasy card game. Decrypt reported that the frozen sum constituted the first payment under the broader agreement and noted that the platform counts global football star Lionel Messi among its backers. The same outlet also stated that Sorare is currently facing a gambling prosecution, adding a layer of regulatory pressure beyond the financial investigation.
CoinDesk confirmed the $13.5 million freeze and stressed that law enforcement has not alleged any wrongdoing by the Premier League itself. The publication also cited the total sponsorship contract as worth $140 million, while Decrypt placed the deal’s value at $163 million. The frozen tranche—reported by Decrypt as approximately $13.6 million—therefore represents only an initial installment of the multi-year partnership.
The case marks a significant intersection of professional sports and the digital-asset economy, highlighting the regulatory and reputational risks that accompany high-value crypto sponsorships. Sorare has built its business around non-fungible token player cards and global fantasy leagues, leveraging mainstream athletic partnerships to expand its user base and attract institutional investment. The Premier League agreement was widely viewed within the blockchain sector as a landmark validation of crypto gaming, pairing one of the world’s most-watched sports competitions with a Web3 platform that utilizes tokenized collectibles.
However, the NCA’s action signals that UK financial crime units are closely scrutinizing the origin and movement of capital from crypto enterprises into traditional institutions. Even though the football league has not been accused of criminal conduct, the freeze demonstrates that anti-money-laundering and proceeds-of-crime frameworks are being applied aggressively to sponsorship revenue streams tied to digital-asset firms.
Because the investigation is ongoing, the final disposition of the frozen funds remains unclear. The January court order grants the NCA continued authority to hold the assets while investigators examine whether the money falls within the scope of UK proceeds-of-crime legislation. Sports executives and crypto industry participants are now awaiting further court filings or official statements that could clarify whether the agency will eventually seek forfeiture, impose penalties, or launch additional enforcement actions against other parties connected to the original transfer.