LONDON: London’s High Court has ruled in favour of Liverpool FC in the Premier League leaders’ legal dispute with current kit partner New Balance, setting the stage for the Reds to switch to Nike next season in a five-year deal, the terms for which have reportedly already been agreed.
In his ruling delivered Friday, Justice Teare not only dismissed New Balance’s arguments, but also rejecting the sportswear company’s right to appeal.
The club won the high court battle with New Balance after the sportswear brand alleged Liverpool had refused to honour the terms of its reported £40m contract which expires in May 2020. Under the terms of the deal, New Balance is entitled to renew its sponsorship if it matches the terms of any competitor’s offer to sponsor Liverpool merchandise.
But the current European champions, who have reportedly been offered a five-year contract of £30m per year by Nike, argued that New Balance could not match its rival’s offer.
Nike’s offer to use global superstar athletes such as the tennis ‘ Serena Williams and the NBA’s LeBron James, as well as Canadian rapper Drake, to promote Liverpool products could not be matched by its rival, Justice Teare ruled.
In the wake of the ruling, the club issued the following statement: “Liverpool FC is pleased with the Judge’s decision to rule in favour of the Club following the legal dispute with our current kit supplier, New Balance.
“We will continue with New Balance for the current season, in combination with preparing next season’s Liverpool kits with our new supplier.”
Last week, the Liverpool ECHO revealed that the club had already agreed upon next season’s kit designs with Nike as the court case rumbled on, with plans for the 2021/22 season almost finalised.
The Oregon-based giants have also spent close to £6 million on fabric for the potential new kit and have received pre-orders from around 8,000 stores. The company have reserved factory space for 2.9m units with training designs also agreed upon, the daily reported.
