New Zealand Rugby are taking legal action against Ineos over claims they've breached their sponsorship agreement. The petrochemicals giant, who co-own Manchester United, allegedly refused to pay an instalment on a six-year deal worth £3.5million per year.
Ineos walked away from the deal three years early
Ineos agreed to become the official performance partner of New Zealand Rugby in 2021, with the deal set to run from 2022 to 2027. It included branding on the back of playing shorts and on the front of training jerseys for both the men's and women's national sides, as well as the New Zealand Maori team and sevens sides.
But in a bombshell statement, NZR declared they were suing Ineos for ending their partnership prematurely. They said Ineos had "breached its sponsorship agreement" and "failed to pay the first instalment of the 2025 sponsorship fee".
"Having learned of Ineos' decision to walk away three years early, we have moved to protect the interests of New Zealand Rugby and the wider game," the statement read. "We have been left with no option but to launch legal proceedings to protect our commercial position."
NZR added that they are "actively pursuing new commercial opportunities" and that "global interest in the All Blacks and other Teams in Black remains high". The All Blacks will now drop the Ineos logo from their jerseys as they search for a new partner.
Ineos' sporting stable
Ineos, who also co-own Manchester United, have a stable of sporting interests including Swiss side FC Lausanne-Sport, French outfit Nice, F1 team Mercedes and the Grenadiers cycling team. However, they have removed the 'rugby' section from their website following the legal action.
Last month, Ineos confirmed they had parted ways with British Olympic hero Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team, which they had backed since 2018. In response, Ainslie's team said they were "astounded" by the news and that Ineos' plan "raises significant legal and practical obstacles for them that will play out in the coming days and weeks".
The team will now be known as Athena Racing, aligning with the British Women's and Youth America's Cup team, the Athena Pathway.
