BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
RANGERS is fighting a multi-million pound damages claim over a "merchandise deal breach" with Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, it's reported.
Details of the claim have come to light in the latest court battle down south.
The Herald reports that lawyers acting for Mr Ashley, who is a former Rangers shareholder, have claimed that the Glasgow club feared a boycott from fans if Sports Direct had won merchandise rights.
In 2014, fans group Rangers Supporters Trust launched an alternative shirt for supporters - with profits ploughed back into shareholding in the club.
Both parties have now appeared at the Commercial Court in London.
They have been arguing over what should be disclosed by both sides in the damages claim.
It's reported that Sa'ad Hossain for SDI Retail - a company in the Sports Direct retail group - told Judge Persey Rangers wanted financial documents that would show the effect of any fan boycott.
He said: "Rangers say there are were some supporters who would not have bought kit in the relevant period from around July, 2018 in the event that SDIR acquired the offered rights because of antipathy to SDIR.
"This disclosure is contested as it is not to do with July, 2018, onwards, it is to do with the historical boycott that took place when the joint venture with [Rangers Retail] was in place, commencing around November, 2014.
"As we understand, Rangers' position is searches should be made of financial information of [Rangers Retail] going back to 2014 so that the impact of the boycott in 2014 can be determined.
"And then in turn [they will] make inferences of a boycott in different circumstances relevant to the damages claim.
"There are several reasons for thinking that this isn't going to be a very informative exercise.
"Firstly, the extent to which supporters boycotted kit in the past period may obviously be very different.
"It is common ground that from 2018 onwards that Mr King and Mr Murray would have complied with their obligations which would have required them not to support a boycott of the goods.
"Also Rangers was in a very different period during most of the boycott period.
"The boycott started in November, 2014, and Rangers only returned to the Scottish Premiership at the end of the 2015/16 season.
"In the period relevant to damages, Rangers is not only in the Scottish Premiership but competing in the Europa League.
"We say it this is a fringe or unimportant issue."
The Herald reports that Akhil Shah QC for Rangers said the issue would be ended if monthly management reports for the retail operation were provided.
And that they were not sent regularly by Sports Direct.
The "trial" at the Commercial Court is expected to take 12 days.
It's reported that both parties have been arguing over the costs to be incurred.