Tottenham have reportedly taken High Court legal action against Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s Ineos.
The Telegraph have divulged that court records show that Spurs filed a commercial claim against Ineos Automotive Limited on Thursday.
No documents are available but it is understood that the claim centers around a contractual dispute.
The United co-owners made an early exit from a sponsorship deal with Tottenham earlier this year after it was reported that a pay-off agreement was reached.
The north London outfit and Ineos had previously agreed a lucrative five-year deal back in December of 2022 to promote the Ineos Grenadier the club’s official 4 x 4 partner.
However, the relationship became rather awkward following Ratcliffe’s purchase of a minority stake in the Red Devils last year, leaving the petrochemicals giant looking to withdraw prematurely from the deal.
Daniel Levy’s (R) Tottenham have reportedly taken legal action against Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos
The five-year deal was signed in 2022 and Ineos branding was seen at Tottenham’s stadium
Ineos branding could be seen on the dugouts and advertisement screens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the reported agreement was reached in March.
It was believed that Ineos would be paying a ‘not insignificant sum’ thought to be in the millions in order to bring an end the deal.
However, it appears the matter is not closed with Tottenham lodging their claim on June 12.
Tottenham declined to comment while Ineos said in a statement: ‘INEOS Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, expanding on a partnership agreement that INEOS Group had in place with the club since 2020.
‘We have a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right.’
The situation looks to be following a similar path to Ineos’s attempt to exit early from their sponsorship deal with the All Blacks, who took legal action over a withdrawal over an agreement not due to end until 2027.
A partnership with Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team was also terminated.
An INEOS spokesperson told the Telegraph that the company exercised a ‘contractual right’ to part ways with Spurs in December.
‘Ineos Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, taking on a partnership agreement that Ineos Group had in place with the club since 2020,’ the statement read.
Ineos became the 4 x 4 partner of Spurs via their Grenadier vehicle back in December 2022
‘Like any business, we have to be diligent in how we operate and where we invest marketing budgets.
‘It’s completely normal for partnerships to be reviewed on a regular basis, and we’ve decided that the partnership wasn’t working out for us. We have the right to terminate the partnership.’