Ibrox club to claim share of shop earnings
BY GRAEME THOMSON g.thomson@dailyrecord.co.uk RANGERS chairman Dave King is set to sue Sports Direct over “long outstanding” payments as the dispute over club merchandise rumbled on yesterday.
The Ibrox club were last week told to pay Sports Direct’s legal bill after losing the latest round of a court battle with them.
King yesterday hit back at Sports Direct, owned by former Rangers majority shareholder Mike Ashley, in the wake of last week’s court ruling.
He said: “Sports Direct expressed the hope Rangers will now move on and put in place commercial arrangements with Sports Direct and that this would be for the benefit of Rangers fans and the club.
“There is no mention of what benefit such arrangements might bring. I challenge Sports Direct to follow up their statement by sharing with Rangers supporters how much last season’s retail agreement benefited the club.
“In terms of profits from Sports Direct’s sale of Rangers kit under the prior agreement, the club have still not received a proper accounting for the retail activities or payments due under it.”
Signalling his plan to sue, King added: “It is solely because of Sports Direct’s refusal or inability to act as expected of a normal commercial partner that Rangers now have no choice but to litigate to secure payments that are due.
“My advice to Sports Direct is that whatever short-term success they might enjoy through their court manoeuvrings will not affect my resolve to ensure the best deal for the club and their supporters.”
King has been locked in legal disputes with Ashley’s firm over retail deals between Sports Direct and Rangers that involve the rights to sell the Ibrox club’s strips.
Sports Direct had a deal with a previous Rangers board that saw them get 93p of every £1 of club merchandise sold in Sports Direct stores. King brought an end to that agreement in June last year.
But last Wednesday, a high court judge ruled Rangers breached the terms of another deal. He concluded the Ibrox club had made a new agreement with the Elite Group last month without giving Sports Direct a chance to match that firm’s offer.