Manchester United's owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has retaliated with a counter-suit against Tottenham Hotspur in a legal conflict at the High Court.
In a surprising turn of events, English football club Tottenham Hotspur and chemical company INEOS find themselves embroiled in a legal dispute. The disagreement stems from contractual obligations and alleged breaches related to a partnership or sponsorship agreement.
Tottenham Hotspur initiated their own legal proceedings in June, following reports that they had negotiated with a major competitor of INEOS while a deal to promote the INEOS Grenadier car was in place. In response, INEOS launched their own legal action against the football club.
The sponsorship agreement between the two parties was a five-year partnership, agreed upon in 2022. Spurs first started working with INEOS five years ago as their official hand sanitiser provider. The INEOS Grenadier logo was displayed on seats in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a result of this earlier agreement.
The dispute arose from sponsorship talks regarding Harry Kane's potential move to Bayern Munich during the summer of 2023. According to The Telegraph, Tottenham have been accused of holding talks with Audi over a potential sponsorship deal, which may have violated their agreement with INEOS.
INEOS, who had a 'contractual right to terminate' the partnership contract, terminated the sponsorship agreement with Tottenham Hotspur in December 2024, as stated in their response to Tottenham's legal action. The cancellation of the sponsorship agreement is the subject of a legal action launched by Tottenham Hotspur against INEOS, seeking more than £1million.
Notably, INEOS's purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United was finalised in February last year. Jim Ratcliffe, the chairman of INEos, now oversees football operations at Manchester United. The relationship between INEOS and Tottenham Hotspur now appears fractured.
Despite the legal proceedings, Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur are set to play Manchester City on Saturday, following their 3-0 win against Burnley on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. The future of the partnership between the two parties remains uncertain.
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