Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his company INEOS have been ‘sued’ as he’s been accused of ‘breaching a sponsorship agreement’.
Ratcliffe has become a hugely unpopular figure at Old Trafford as he’s made several controversial decisions since taking over from the Glazer family.
The INEOS supremo has taken control of footballing matters at Man Utd and sanctioned a major cost-cutting programme to balance the books at Old Trafford.
The British billionaire has sparked controversy by hiking ticket prices, making mass redundancies, cutting Christmas benefits and taking away Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role.
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It remains to be seen whether Ratcliffe and his new-look recruitment team at Man Utd are up to the task of getting the Premier League giants back on track, but a new controversy has raised fresh concerns.
A report from The Telegraph reveals New Zealand Rugby have ‘sued’ Ratcliffe with INEOS ‘accused of breaching their lucrative sponsorship deal’.
The All Blacks ‘agreed a six-year sponsorship deal’ with INEOS to ‘become their official partner until 2027’, but they ‘failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship deal’.
‘It said that this confirmed Ineos’s decision to exit the six-year agreement and that it now had no option but to launch legal proceedings. Ineos has not commented, but the page on its website about the partnership with New Zealand Rugby now simply says “page not found”.
‘What was branded as a “unique new six-year partnership” with New Zealand Rugby – and which included all seven of its national teams – was announced in July 2021 and due to run across six years from 2022 until 2027.
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‘It was understood to be worth NZ$8 million (£3.65 million) a year to New Zealand Rugby, with Ineos promising to fuse expertise in Formula One, cycling, sailing and football as “part of a unique sport performance group”.
‘New Zealand Rugby is understood to have already begun legal proceedings against Ineos and intends to remove the logo from the national team kit for their next international matches.’
In a statement, New Zealand rugby said: “New Zealand Rugby is disappointed that Ineos has breached its sponsorship agreement. Most recently, it failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship fee, confirming its decision to exit our six-year agreement.
“Having learned of Ineos’s decision to walk away three years early, we have moved to protect the interests of New Zealand Rugby and the wider game. We have been left with no option but to launch legal proceedings to protect our commercial position.
“NZR is actively pursuing new commercial opportunities and global interest in the All Blacks and other Teams in Black remains high. We are committed to being world class on and off the field and deliver unique value to sponsors through our iconic brands.”
