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Football London
Football London
Sport
Sam Inkersole

Why West Ham don't have a sponsor on their shirts for match against Man City and what it means

West Ham have debuted their new third kit for the Premier League Asia Trophy match against Manchester City - but there is something missing.

There is no sponsor on the front of their shirts, a space usually occupied by main club sponsors Betway but as a result of gambling not allowed to be advertised in China, the Hammers have had to be creative.

Instead, on their shirts is the Chinese word for "Hammers".

The club revealed it's new third kit earlier on Thursday, costing £55 for an adult version and adds to the other two new kits they have launched ahead of the 2019/20 Premier League season.

The third kit also takes a nod to the Hammers’ historic 1980 FA Cup triumph, featuring the crest worn by Billy Bonds, Sir Trevor Brooking at Wembley on the back of neck detail, along with pink detailing on the collar and shoulder.

Mark Noble and Manuel Lanzini celebrate the opening goal against Manchester City (Fred Lee/Getty Images for Premier League))

The other two kits - we saw the new home shirt debuted against Altach last week - pay homage to that team FA Cup winning team of 1980, with the all white away shirt in particular going down an absolute storm.

The Hammers debut in the new kit is at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre and at the break, it wasn;t going to plan as the Hammers were 2-1 down to Guardiolas side despite having taken the lead through Mark Noble's penalty.

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