Mike Ashley attempts to take yet more money out of Newcastle United


 
 
 
 
 
 

On Thursday, it was revealed (see below) that Mike Ashley was taking action against Newcastle United and had submitted a claim to the Competition Appeals Tribunal.

This due to NUFC switching from Castore to Adidas.

With apart from the official club shop(s) and Adidas themselves, JD Sports having an exclusivity deal to sell replica kit starting next season.

Now further details have emerged of the action, with Mike Ashley attempting to take even more money out of Newcastle United.

Talksport report that Newcastle United have until March 28 to reply to the claim, before a hearing on April 9, with the claim also asking for damages to be paid.

This new report saying that the claim lodged at the Competition Appeal Tribunal has revealed that Ashley will sue his former side for ‘abusing its dominant position in the market’ by not supplying 50,900 units of Newcastle merchandise.

Talksport detailing that ‘The order, made up mainly of shirts for the 2024/25 season, equates to £1.533million, but the complainant alleges Newcastle’s decision to instead sell the kit exclusively through JD Sports and their official stores is in breach of the Competitions Act.’

As we reported yesterday on The Mag, it was a massive moment when the last visible remainder of Mike Ashley and his Sports Direct graffiti was removed after the new owners took over.

The shameless former NUFC owner even then trying (and failing!) to try and insist all of his free advertising should stay at St James’ Park.

The Mag report – 21 March 2024:

‘A bit too much to hope for that we had heard the last of Mike Ashley.

The club’s former owner having cropped up a few times since he handed the keys over to the new Newcastle United owners on 7 October 2021.

His ugly mug has surfaced with such things as when at last the new owners binned all the horrific free advertising Mike Ashley had blighting St James’ Park. That was a massive day for Newcastle fans to see those eyesores removed.

The latest is quite amusing actually.

Mike Ashley taking action because now Newcastle United are switching from Castore to Adidas, Ashley’s jumble sale Sports Direct empire won’t be able to stock NUFC replica kit any more, as apart from the official club shop(s) and Adidas themselves, JD Sports will have an exclusivity deal.

The Sun reporting – 21 March 2024:

Mike Ashley is taking Newcastle United, the club he used to own, to the competition regulator in a major bitter row over football shirts.

Newcastle United recently switched its kit provider from Castore to Adidas and as part of the agreement has struck an exclusivity to only sell football shirts through the club’s shop and arch rival JD Sports.

The Sports Direct tycoon has now submitted a claim to the Competition Appeals Tribunal.

Sports Direct alleges in its claim that: “The Club has abused its dominant position in the market for the wholesale supply of Newcastle United replica kit in the UK [in breach of competition law] by refusing to supply Sports Direct with the Club’s replica kit for the 2024/25 season and granting JD Sports, another UK sports retailer, exclusive rights as a third-party retailer of the Club’s replica kit”.

A source close to Mr Ashley claimed that “football fans will ultimately suffer from higher prices”.

Suffered???

Newcastle United suffered for over 14 years under Mike Ashley!’