Tottenham suing Jim Ratcliffe’s company, the owner of Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur Sue Ineos Over Sponsorship Breach as Legal Battle Unfolds
Tottenham Hotspur have officially launched a lawsuit against Ineos, the multinational chemicals conglomerate owned by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe—who is also the co-owner of Premier League rivals Manchester United. The legal proceedings were filed on June 13, and new revelations about the case have now surfaced through an exclusive report by The Telegraph.
The roots of this dispute date back to 2020, when Ineos, a UK-based global chemical manufacturer, first formed a commercial relationship with Tottenham Hotspur. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ineos became the club’s official supplier of hand sanitiser, aligning its brand with Spurs as part of health and safety protocols introduced across football and society.
This initial partnership evolved into a more significant commercial agreement in 2022. Under this deal, Tottenham agreed to promote the Ineos Grenadier—a rugged, off-road 4×4 vehicle designed by Ineos Automotive—as “the club’s official 4×4.” The sponsorship was meant to span five years, with the total value of the contract reported to be £17.5 million. The arrangement was seen at the time as mutually beneficial, blending Ineos’s ambition to break into the automotive sector with Tottenham’s global sporting platform.
However, relations between the two parties have since deteriorated. According to documents obtained by The Telegraph, Ineos has expressed an intention to withdraw from the sponsorship deal by the end of 2024, well ahead of the original contract expiration. This prompted Tottenham to take legal action, seeking over £11 million in damages for what the club asserts is a clear breach of contractual obligations.
At the heart of the legal claim is a series of allegedly missed payments. Tottenham assert that Ineos failed to deliver a scheduled annual payment exceeding £5 million that was due in December 2023. Additionally, the club claims that a further £500,000—linked to inflation adjustments and due in August 2023—was also not paid. As a result, Spurs say they were left with no choice but to terminate the agreement unilaterally in March 2025 due to these financial shortcomings.
In their legal filings, Tottenham are now seeking a minimum of £5.2 million in compensation. This figure includes interest, penalties, and other potential legal costs, and it may rise depending on the outcome of the case. According to The Telegraph, the original contract stipulated that annual payments would start at £2.1 million and increase incrementally each year, reaching £4.6 million by the final year of the deal.
In response, Ineos has categorically denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for the company told The Telegraph that Ineos Automotive has “fulfilled all legal obligations” under the terms of its partnership with Spurs. The statement added that the company’s relationship with the club, which began in 2020 and expanded in 2022, had evolved in line with business needs. “It is perfectly normal to review commercial partnerships,” the spokesperson said, noting that the company had simply decided that continuing the deal was no longer appropriate.
Tottenham Hotspur, for their part, have declined to issue any public comments while the legal process is ongoing.
The lawsuit against Spurs adds to a growing list of sporting controversies surrounding Ineos in recent months. In April 2025, Ineos Britannia—the group’s sailing team—abruptly pulled out of the prestigious America’s Cup competition. Reports suggested that the decision followed a falling-out with Sir Ben Ainslie, one of the most decorated sailors in the sport’s history, over issues related to team ownership and governance.
Further compounding Ineos’s troubles, New Zealand’s iconic rugby union team, the All Blacks, are also reportedly pursuing legal action against the company. The dispute involves an alleged breach of a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Ineos, which was set to run until 2027.
With multiple lawsuits now underway and public scrutiny intensifying, Ineos finds itself under pressure to defend its commercial practices across its growing portfolio of sports sponsorships. As for Tottenham Hotspur, this legal action highlights the club’s firm stance on enforcing commercial agreements, especially at a time when off-field revenues remain a vital pillar of modern football operations.