NCA freezes £10m held by Premier League over reported Sorare payment

More than £10m held in a Premier League bank account has been frozen. This is while the National Crime Agency investigates whether the money has links to alleged third-party criminality.

The account-freezing order was obtained from Westminster Magistrates’ Court in January 2025. It has only now become public, however.

The money is reportedly connected to the Premier League’s former partnership with digital fantasy-sports company Sorare. However, no wrongdoing has been alleged against the Premier League.

Order does not establish wrongdoing

The order covers £10,024,041.33 held in a Barclays account belonging to The Football Association Premier League Limited.

According to an NCA spokesperson quoted in the original report, its purpose is:

“To prevent dissipation of the funds while the NCA investigates any potential links between those funds and alleged third-party criminality.”

An account-freezing order is a civil measure. It is used to prevent money from being moved while an investigation continues. It does not amount to a criminal conviction or establish that the account holder has acted unlawfully.

The Premier League is not suspected of wrongdoing and has reportedly applied to vary the terms of the order.

Sorare has also stressed that it is not under investigation by the NCA and that the affected account does not belong to the company. Public information has not established the identity of the third party or the suspected source of any criminality.

Money reportedly came from Sorare agreement

The frozen money is understood to have been the first payment made under the Premier League’s commercial agreement with Sorare.

They announced a four-year partnership, announced in January 2023. This allowed Sorare to produce digital cards featuring players from all 20 Premier League clubs. Users could buy and trade the cards, build fantasy teams and compete for rewards based on players’ real-world performances.

The financial terms were never officially disclosed. The agreement was widely reported to be worth approximately £30m a year, or £120m across its four-year term.

Sorare said the partnership expired at the end of the 2025/26 season. It denied reports suggesting the agreement had been terminated because of an investigation or regulatory proceedings.

Separate gambling case remains unresolved

The NCA’s investigation is separate from an ongoing Gambling Commission prosecution concerning Sorare’s business model.

The regulator charged Sorare in September 2024 with providing facilities for gambling in Britain without holding an operating licence.

Sorare denies that its platform constitutes gambling. It argues that its fantasy competitions are based on skill and should not fall within British gambling legislation.

The trial was originally expected in 2026 but has been postponed until 7 June 2027 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

There is currently no public evidence that the NCA freezing order resulted from the Commission’s prosecution. Nevertheless, the two proceedings place renewed attention on the boundaries between fantasy sports, digital assets and regulated gambling.

They also raise questions about the checks undertaken by major sporting organisations before accepting payments from businesses operating in emerging and legally contested markets.