English soccer giants Liverpool are being sued for more than UK£1 million (US$1.3 million) in commission it is claimed they owe from a past kit sponsorship deal with gambling firm BetVictor.
Sports sponsorship company Winlink claims the Premier League leaders owe it UK£1.125 million (US$1.424 million) after one of its senior executives introduced club officials to their contacts at BetVictor in 2013. The Reds went on to unveil the online bookmaker as the sponsor of their training kit in July 2016.
Winlink's court filing says it was ‘heavily engaged over a number of years in securing a successful introduction… and in assisting to bring about a sponsorship deal’, which led to a reported UK£15 million, three-year partnership which expired at the end of the 2018/19 season. Insurance company Axa now sponsors Liverpool’s training kit.
In response, Liverpool claim Rafaella Valentino, the club's head of global partnership sales, ‘personally negotiated the deal with BetVictor's CEO, her friend Andreas Meinrad’, shortly after she joined the club in late 2015, and that Winlink's introduction was not the cause of the deal.
At a remote High Court trial, which began on 9th June, Winlink’s barrister said the company “spent significant time and effort in building the relationship between Liverpool and BetVictor”. Winlink has previously earned commissions from introducing bookmakers to several top soccer clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus.
While Winlink has accepted that it played no role in the negotiation of the 2016 deal, it maintains it should receive a financial payment for providing an introduction service, after which the deal between Liverpool and BetVictor was signed, thus meeting its criteria for commission.
Winlink’s barrister added that “Liverpool has not kept its side of the bargain”, despite the club’s BetVictor deal being signed two-and-a-half years later.
Robert Anderson QC, for Liverpool, also said that the club’s agreement with Winlink did not give it “the unlimited right to commission on every deal that Liverpool ever does with BetVictor … regardless of their involvement in it”.
The trial is due to last until 12th June, with the judge expected to reserve his judgment to a later date.
It is the second High Court case for Liverpool in less than a year. In October 2019, the club won a legal battle with current kit supplier New Balance, allowing them to switch to Nike from the 2020/21 campaign.
English soccer giants Liverpool are being sued for more than UK£1 million (US$1.3 million) in commission it is claimed they owe from a past kit sponsorship deal with gambling firm BetVictor.
Sports sponsorship company Winlink claims the Premier League leaders owe it UK£1.125 million (US$1.424 million) after one of its senior executives introduced club officials to their contacts at BetVictor in 2013. The Reds went on to unveil the online bookmaker as the sponsor of their training kit in July 2016.
Winlink's court filing says it was ‘heavily engaged over a number of years in securing a successful introduction… and in assisting to bring about a sponsorship deal’, which led to a reported UK£15 million, three-year partnership which expired at the end of the 2018/19 season. Insurance company Axa now sponsors Liverpool’s training kit.
In response, Liverpool claim Rafaella Valentino, the club's head of global partnership sales, ‘personally negotiated the deal with BetVictor's CEO, her friend Andreas Meinrad’, shortly after she joined the club in late 2015, and that Winlink's introduction was not the cause of the deal.
At a remote High Court trial, which began on 9th June, Winlink’s barrister said the company “spent significant time and effort in building the relationship between Liverpool and BetVictor”. Winlink has previously earned commissions from introducing bookmakers to several top soccer clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus.
While Winlink has accepted that it played no role in the negotiation of the 2016 deal, it maintains it should receive a financial payment for providing an introduction service, after which the deal between Liverpool and BetVictor was signed, thus meeting its criteria for commission.
Winlink’s barrister added that “Liverpool has not kept its side of the bargain”, despite the club’s BetVictor deal being signed two-and-a-half years later.
Robert Anderson QC, for Liverpool, also said that the club’s agreement with Winlink did not give it “the unlimited right to commission on every deal that Liverpool ever does with BetVictor … regardless of their involvement in it”.
The trial is due to last until 12th June, with the judge expected to reserve his judgment to a later date.
It is the second High Court case for Liverpool in less than year. In October 2019, the club won a legal battle with current kit supplier New Balance, allowing them to switch to Nike from the 2020/21 campaign.
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