DERBY are being monitored by the FA over their decision to give new signing Wayne Rooney the No32 shirt.
His £90,000-a-week wages will be funded by a new deal with Derby’s main sponsor 32Red – hence his squad number.
And according to the Telegraph, the FA are ready to come down hard if Derby break strict sponsorship rules.
Clubs are allowed to give "one single area not exceeding 100 square centimetres on the back of the shirt" to any sponsor.
The newspaper states that the association with 32Red could be interpreted "as a potential breach in the rules".
But the ruling will only come into play once the shirt "goes live" – that is to say once the former Manchester United and England captain steps onto the field of play.
Rooney will earn close to £8million at Pride Park after agreeing an 18-month contract with an option to extend it by a further year.
COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
He will wear No 32 on his shirt next season in a slick marketing ploy to promote the gambling firm’s brand.
Derby owner Mel Morris admitted: “Obviously, the commercial opportunities this creates are widespread and significant.
"On the back of Wayne joining the club, we have just been offered a record-breaking sponsorship deal with 32Red.
"We are keen to leverage Wayne's involvement and the support of 32Red with our community initiatives, expanding the work such as the Team Talk mental health programme which is supported by our Community Trust and 32Red.”
But Rooney said: “The number I wear is not a big deal.”
The numbers 7, 12, 13, 15 and 18 — the number he wore at Everton — were all available to Rooney.
He will be on more than four times the average Championship players' weekly wage, which stands at £20,000.
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