Manchester United’s Sir Jim Ratcliffe has received a lawsuit regarding his company’s sponsorship of Tottenham Hotspur.
The legal battle between Tottenham Hotspur and INEOS Automotive has escalated, with the Manchester United co-owner now countersuing the north London club over its early exit from a multi-million-pound sponsorship agreement.
INEOS, led by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is seeking $1.34m (£1m) in damages, alleging Tottenham breached the terms of their five-year partnership by secretly courting rival car manufacturer Audi during the high-profile transfer of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
In newly submitted court documents, INEOS argues it had the contractual right to exit the agreement and accuses Tottenham of undermining the partnership by negotiating with Audi over rights that were meant to be exclusive to INEOS.
INEOS Automotive is a car company owned by Ratcliffe, who is also a minority shareholder in Manchester United.
History of the deal
INEOS’ suit is counter to Tottenham’s, which was filed against the car maker back in June 2025, over an alleged breach of a sponsorship agreement.
Tottenham Hotspur announced what was intended to be a five-year partnership with INEOS in 2022. The deal included branding for the Grenadier vehicle displayed around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on matchdays, visible via pitchside LED screens.
Fans reportedly noticed INEOS’ branding was missing from the car during the club’s UEFA Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar on March 13, 2025.
Following this, reports emerged INEOS had agreed a deal with Spurs to exit the partnership early in December 2024, with suggestions Ratcliffe’s company had committed to a multi-million-pound settlement.
But Tottenham alleges INEOS failed to honour its deal and is seeking more than $14.79m (£11m) in damages, and claims to have terminated the agreement in March 2024 year citing missed payments. The club is pursuing at least $7.08m (£5.27m) in damages for being forced to end the contract early, with two years still remaining.
The missed payments under scrutiny concern a scheduled instalment of over $6.72m (£5m) due in December 2023, and an inflation-adjusted payment of nearly $672,630 (£500,000) that was expected in August 2024.
In addition to termination-related losses, Spurs are also seeking compensation for the missed payments, accrued interest, and any other fees deemed appropriate by the court.
The original contract outlined annual payments starting at $2.85m (£2.12m) in the first year, rising to $6.18m (£4.6m) by year five, excluding VAT and subject to inflation adjustments.
An INEOS spokesperson told The Telegraph the company had a contractual right to end the agreement, which it exercised in December 2024.
Likely to agree a deal
INEOS recently came to a settlement with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to end its sponsorship of the national team in April.
This followed a dispute in January 2025, when Ratcliffe’s company announced it would terminate its deal with NZR just three years into a six-year agreement which included branding on the team’s shorts and training kits.
Although INEOS had notified NZR of its intention to end the partnership, the team accused the company of failing to pay its first $5.82m (NZ$10m) instalment for 2025. The termination also meant NZR stood to lose $12.22m (NZ$21m) in revenue for the remainder of the year.
INEOS ultimately paid the $5.82m (NZ$10m) it owed, along with a small additional payment to the team.
An NZR statement read: “New Zealand Rugby and Ineos can confirm that a settlement has been reached between the two parties.
“Whilst the details remain confidential, both organisations are satisfied with the outcome and acknowledge a desire to now move forward.”
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