Wieczysta Kraków, a football club playing in Poland’s second tier, 1 Liga, said it had terminated its sponsorship deal with BB Trade Estonia OÜ, the operator of Zondacrypto.
The club said the agreement, signed on July 29, 2025, was ended because of the company’s uncertain legal situation, doubts surrounding its business activity, and months of unpaid contractual fees.
In a statement, the club said the sponsor had failed to settle payments “for many months.” It added that the dispute would not affect the team’s sporting or day-to-day operations and would not create risks to the club’s financial liquidity.
The move makes Wieczysta the latest Polish sports organization to sever relations with Zondacrypto.
On Friday, top-tier football club Raków Częstochowa and basketball side Dziki Warszawa ended their sponsorship contracts. Football club GKS Katowice followed on Monday, and Pogoń Szczecin did the same on Tuesday.
The broader crisis around Zondacrypto has been building since Friday, when prosecutors in southern Poland opened an investigation into the exchange.
Investigators say hundreds of people are currently unable to withdraw funds they had deposited in cryptocurrency on the platform.
When the case was opened on April 17, estimated losses stood at around PLN 350 million (around EUR 80 million, USD 100 million), though prosecutors have said that figure, along with the number of alleged victims, is expected to rise.
On Wednesday, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in the southern city of Katowice said a dedicated website would be launched for injured parties, with instructions on how to file crime notifications. A spokesperson said hundreds of new complaints were arriving each day.
The investigation is being conducted on suspicion of major fraud and money laundering.
The affair has created a growing headache for the Polish sports world because Zondacrypto has been a visible sponsor across several disciplines.
Since October, it has served as the general sponsor of the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOl). Despite the prosecution case, its head Radosław Piesiewicz said on Monday that he did not currently intend to terminate that contract.
He said the committee had no basis to end the agreement because the company had so far fulfilled its obligations toward the organization.
He added that the next tranche of sponsorship money was due at the end of April.
“As long as our sponsor is fulfilling the terms of the contract, we are obliged to continue the cooperation,” Piesiewicz said. “Terminating the contract would involve paying a contractual penalty, which the Polish Olympic Committee cannot afford.”
His comments came as questions mounted over funds linked to bonuses promised to Polish Olympians for their results at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy.
Some athletes are among those who cannot access their Zondacrypto holdings. The company had been due to hand them PLN 1.38 million in rewards in token form.
Piesiewicz avoided detailed answers on whether the athletes could reach those funds, saying that the cash and material prizes promised directly by the Polish Olympic Committee had already been paid and delivered.
Zondacrypto remains a sponsor of top-flight football club Lechia Gdańsk and is involved in several international sports partnerships, including with Italian football clubs and cycling events.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP