Breaking News: Mike Ashley sues Newcastle United over…

The billionaire entrepreneur, who offloaded Newcastle United to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia for £305m in 2021, alleges that the club breached competition laws by declining to furnish Sports Direct with merchandise, as reported by The Telegraph.

This development arises amidst a legal clash between Mr. Ashley and the current Newcastle manager, Amanda Staveley, who holds a 10% stake in the club alongside other investors, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

In a lawsuit initiated on Thursday, Sports Direct asserts that Newcastle has abused its dominant position by withholding the team’s 2024/25 kit from the retailer, instead opting to grant “exclusive rights” to competitor JD Sports.

 

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This move comes subsequent to the club’s decision to switch its kit provider from Castore to Adidas for the upcoming season. Alleging this as a breach, Ashley is pursuing damages from the club and an injunction to prevent Newcastle from excluding Sports Direct from the market.

Separately, Ashley has filed a lawsuit against Staveley over a £10m loan he extended to her during the club’s takeover process.

He contends that Staveley defaulted on the loan agreement by making disparaging public remarks about him post-sale, including her anticipation of removing Sports Direct branding from Newcastle’s stadium.

Despite Staveley repaying the £10m loan plus £600,000 in interest in October, Mr. Ashley is pursuing High Court action against Newcastle United and its holding company.

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