Manchester United co-owners Ineos have made a decision that has huge ramifications on Tottenham Hotspur. The group, helmed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has agreed an early exit of their sponsorship deal with the North London club.
Ineos, who completed a minority purchase of the Red Devils in 2023 and are in charge of all footballing operations at the club, have held a partnership with Spurs through their 4X4 offshoot Grenadier since 2020. But now no longer.
Tottenham's chief commercial officer, Todd Kline, said in a statement on the Ineos Grenadier website at the time of its announcement: "Our partnership with Ineos Grenadier represents the coming together of an innovative British brand with an iconic London Football Club – both of whom are committed to pushing boundaries and daring to do things differently, while staying true to authentic values and traditions. We would like to thank the team at Ineos Automotive for their vision and commitment to the future success of this partnership."
The sponsorship saw the Ineos logo plastered all over the seats of both sets of dugouts alongside electronic advertising hoardings. But there were whispers in February the firm were looking to bring an early end to the five-year deal.
Fans were quick to notice a huge change during Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar on March 13. The branding was nowhere to be seen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
According to Inside Sport, a deal has been agreed between the club and Ineos to end the sponsorship deal. An agreement which will see Ineos pay a 'not insignificant sum' believed to be in the millions to Spurs.
Tottenham are not the only ones on the receiving end of Ineos' partnership-ending decisions. Ties have also been cut with New Zealand Rugby and Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team, while reports have emerged that the company's stake in Mercedes Formula 1 is also under threat as they start to put all their focus on running United.