SAINTS sponsor Flybe has guaranteed its support to the club until the end of the season.
However the Daily Echo understands the low-cost airline is considering whether to axe its £250,000-a-year support for next year, a contract only signed in December.
It is feared that company bosses have grown tired of the tide of grim news from St Mary’s.
The regional flights giant is also angry after the club left it to find out about the suspension of its shares via the pages of the Daily Echo.
It may now be examining break clauses in its contract with Saints, which could be activated by the parent company being placed in administration.
Flybe has limited itself to a terse official statement, but those close to its management reported an “irretrievable breakdown” in relations between the club and its biggest sponsor.
They said the airline, the biggest at Southampton Airport and Europe’s largest regional airline, felt “very poorly treated”.
A succession of bad news from the club, from players being arrested to boardroom and managerial changes, has left Flybe concerned at the impact on its brand.
The airline was said to be “infuriated” that its logo was shown at a press conference about the woes of Saints’ parent Southampton Leisure Holdings, which it does not sponsor.
A statement read: “Flybe have loyally stood by Southampton FC over the past three years, despite relegation, boardroom and managerial upheaval, and like all Saints fans, we want only the best for the club.
“However, as the club’s primary sponsor, Flybe was very disappointed to have learnt from the media about the suspension of sharetrading in Southampton L e i s u r e Holdings Plc.
This, combined with the almost constant drip-drip of negative publicity, is frankly not conducive to a good working relationship, or the positive brand values Flybe has worked very hard to build in Southampton.”
It is unlikely the club could find another such lucrative sponsor for the shirt in time for next season, given the uncertainty currently surrounding its future.
As previously reported by the Daily Echo, Saints parent company Southampton Leisure Holdings has called in the administrators over its financial crisis and may be shut down in under four weeks if a buyer cannot be found.
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