Former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is taking the club to court for refusing to put next season's kits on sale on his Sports Direct network.
A lawsuit filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal has revealed that Ashley will sue his former team for “abusing its dominant market position” by failing to supply 50,900 units of Newcastle goods.
The order, mainly made up of shirts for the 2024/25 season, is worth £1.533 million, but the complainant alleges that Newcastle's decision to sell the kit exclusively through JD Sports and its official stores breaches the Competitions Act.
Newcastle has until March 28 to respond to the lawsuit, before a hearing on April 9. The lawsuit also seeks payment of damages.
The Magpies will switch kit supplier from Castore to Adidas next season and Sports Direct expected their current deal to continue.
However, the claim alleges that under a new deal, only Adidas, JD Sports and Newcastle themselves will be able to sell the 2024/25 shirt.
The news continues AshleyThe tumultuous relationship with Newcaslte, the team he bought in 2007 before selling it to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in 2021.
Ashley was a hugely unpopular owner for most of his tenure, with fans protesting his reign, largely citing a lack of investment.
However, despite relinquishing control of the club in October 2021 (which was cause for much celebration), Ashley's relationship with the current regime remains strained.
They had previously clashed over a loan to facilitate the takeover and also over the removal of Sports Direct signage in St. James Park.
