Sir Jim Ratcliffe Fires Back: Man Utd Co-Owner Launches Counter-Attack Against Tottenham
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos, co-owner of Manchester United, has filed a counter-lawsuit against their former partner Tottenham Hotspur, claiming the club held discussions with Audi while under contract with them.
Tottenham initiated legal proceedings against Ineos Automotive earlier this year regarding a cancelled sponsorship deal, where the Ineos Grenadier served as the club's official 4x4 vehicle partner.
The partnership between Ineos Automotive and Tottenham ran from 2022 to 2024, while the broader Ineos Group had been associated with the club since 2020. The Premier League side is seeking over £11 million ($14.8 million) in damages from Ineos Automotive, claiming breach of contract through non-payment and premature termination.
As reported by the Telegraph, Ineos has filed a counter-claim exceeding £1 million, alleging that Spurs engaged with German automotive giant Audi regarding Harry Kane's potential move to Bayern Munich during summer 2023.
Ineos maintains that despite no agreement being reached, the mere exploration of alternatives constituted grounds for early termination of their sponsorship deal with Spurs under their alleged contract terms.
In their defence and counter-claim filed with the High Court, Ineos stated: "The particulars of claim omit reference to a highly significant sequence of events whereby the club, without Ineos's knowledge, began negotiations with a major Ineos competitor with the intent of granting that competitor rights which were exclusively held by Ineos under the agreement.
"Around 3 August 2023 (early in the second contract year), Todd Kline from the club ('Mr Kline') informed Ashley Reed of Ineos ('Mr Reed') that the club had engaged in discussions with German automotive manufacturer Audi AG ('Audi') concerning rights identical to, or substantially similar to, those granted to Ineos under the agreement and/or the club had been in negotiations with Audi regarding rights exclusive to Ineos under clause 4 of the agreement.
"According to Mr Kline, these discussions and/or negotiations were connected to a potential transfer of the club's player Harry Kane ('Mr Kane') to German club FC Bayern Munich ('Bayern Munich'). Under these circumstances, it is the club that owes Ineos more than £1 million for failing to provide any rights to Ineos during the final portion of year three."