Tottenham Hotspur are currently engaged in a legal dispute with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner of Manchester United, concerning the termination of a significant sponsorship agreement.
Ratcliffe`s chemical company, Ineos, through its vehicle brand Grenadier, had signed a five-year contract in December 2022 to serve as Tottenham`s “official 4×4 vehicle partner.”
This partnership expanded upon a previous agreement from 2020, during which Ineos was the club`s “official hand sanitiser supplier” during the pandemic.
Following Ratcliffe`s acquisition of a stake in Manchester United last year, Ineos confirmed its intention to withdraw from the sponsorship deal with Spurs.
Initially, it was reported that a resolution had been found for the multi-million pound agreement, suggesting a break deal was reached between the clubs and Ineos.
However, Tottenham has now initiated legal proceedings against Ineos in the High Court.
The claim, filed by Tottenham on June 12, is categorized under “general commercial contracts and arrangements” and specifically targets Ineos Automotive Limited, an Ineos subsidiary.
This legal action indicates that attempts to settle the matter through negotiation outside of court were unsuccessful.
Tottenham Hotspur declined to provide a comment regarding the situation. Ineos, in their statement, said: “INEOS Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, expanding on a partnership agreement that INEOS Group had in place with the club since 2020. We have a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right.”
Sources suggest that a settlement is still hoped for in order to avoid a full hearing in the High Court.
Marcus Bellamy