Liverpool FC embroiled in betting sponsorship legal dispute
£15m BetVictor training kit deal thrown into spotlight after mediator demands compensation
Premier League giants Liverpool are being sued for more than £1m in commission compensation over a £15m training kit sponsorship deal with BetVictor.
Sports sponsorship firm Winlink is demanding £1.1m from the Merseyside outfit after claiming one of its senior executives introduced Liverpool officials to the Gibraltar-based bookmaker back in 2013.
This claimed introduction led to a three-year kit deal running from 2016 to 2019 at a cost of £5m per season, with Winlink stating it was “heavily engaged over a number of years in securing a successful introduction […] and in assisting to bring about a sponsorship deal”.
Liverpool have refuted the claim, insisting head of global partnerships Rafaella Valentino secured the deal directly with BetVictor CEO and personal friend Andreas Meinrad.
At a remote High Court trial starting on 8 June, Winlink’s barrister, Andrew Sutcliffe, argued the firm had “spent significant time and effort in building the relationship between Liverpool and BetVictor”.
Sutcliffe pointed towards two conditions that needed to be met for Winlink to earn its commission. Firstly, to introduce Liverpool to senior decision-makers at BetVictor and, secondly, for the bookmaker to sponsor the club.
He also highlighted that Winlink and its sister company, Bettor, have previously earned commissions for introducing bookmakers to several elite European clubs including Arsenal and Juventus.
Sutcliffe went on to say that Winlink was “simply providing an introduction service” and that Liverpool had “not kept its side of the bargain”.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s barrister, Robert Anderson, stated that Winlink’s introductions “had nothing to do with the execution of the £15m training kit deal” as they had taken place two-and-a-half years prior to the 2016 deal being secured.