SEAFRANCE has threatened to pull out of its six-figure sponsorship deal with Gillingham Football Club in the row over plans to change the team's kit from blue to white.

A crunch meeting of bosses at the cross-Channel ferry operator is to be held this week to make a final decision on whether or not to continue with sponsorship.

It follows a stream of hate mail sent to SeaFrance after the announcement of the change to a white kit for next season.

The new colour was decided by club chairman Paul Scally. But SeaFrance bosses are furious that fans have laid the blame at their door. Fans have been sending critical e-mails to SeaFrance and writing similar comments on the club's unofficial website.

Bosses at the firm only recently signed a new one-year deal with Gills and insist they were not consulted about the plan.

Sales director Bill Laidlaw said: "At the moment I'm extremely cross about the whole thing. We are not at all amused."

Mr Laidlaw said it was "touch and go" whether SeaFrance would continue to back the Gills, adding that the company had never sought to influence the choice of kit colour or design.

"It's tantamount to Paul Scally saying to us that we should paint our ships green," said Mr Laidlaw. He said the first he knew about the proposed change was when he started receiving e-mails alleging the proposed changes were dictated by the SeaFrance corporate colours of red, white and blue.

Mr Laidlaw said he had received "frankly appalling stuff" and what was written on one of the club's unofficial websites was "quite hideous".

"In the light of all this and the fact we hadn't had anything to do with the design of the new kit, I demanded a meeting with Paul," he said. "I advised him that we would be reconsidering the situation as regards our sponsorship. We are very serious."

Gills' boss Mr Scally has threatened to resign if SeaFrance pulls out. He told the club's website: "SeaFrance have had faxes and e-mails from people telling them that they're not going to use their service any longer. If, as a result of this, the club loses its main sponsor and there is a chance it will then it will also lose its chairman."

He also said he would be working this week to resolve the issue and "trying to repair the damage done to our relationship with SeaFrance".