Blackburn Rovers are facing a High Court lawsuit for £500,000 in damages, stemming from an alleged breach of a kit sponsorship agreement with Macron Sportswear UK. The Championship club is being pursued by Macron, the British arm of the Italian sportswear company that served as the club's official technical kit sponsor and supplier under a five-year deal signed in May 2021.
The deal concluded last month, and Macron Sportswear UK initiated legal action earlier this year, asserting in court documents that it is owed hundreds of thousands of pounds after negotiations to renew the partnership collapsed.
According to legal documents outlining Macron's case, the 2021 agreement granted Macron a 90-day exclusive window to negotiate a renewal from the start of 2025. The contract stipulated that if no agreement was reached, Blackburn could engage with other suppliers, but was obliged to present any intended third-party offer to Macron.
Macron then had 10 days to submit a matching offer, which had to meet four specific criteria: the retainer fee, the quantity of free sporting goods, royalties, and bonuses. Blackburn were contractually bound to accept any such matching offer. Failure to do so would entitle Macron to £500,000, along with all charges and costs incurred in claiming the sum.
The dispute centres on a third-party offer that Blackburn made to Macron, which the club then declined in favour of a new supplier. Macron's barrister, Nick De Marco KC, argued that Blackburn's refusal to negotiate or pay the £500,000 constitutes a breach of contract, entitling Macron to the sum plus interest.
Blackburn's defence team, led by Robert Anderson KC, countered that the club was within its rights to accept the new supplier's offer because Macron's proposal did not match all material terms of the third-party offer.