Mike Ashley had a deal to take 93p of each £1 made from Rangers merchandise sales NICK ANSELL/PARangers could be forced to pay millions of pounds to Sports Direct after losing a long-running legal battle over merchandise with the company’s billionaire owner Mike Ashley. A judge has ruled that the club should have granted Mr Ashley’s company the chance to match a new replica shirt deal struck by Rangers with the kit manufacturer Elite/Hummel. Rangers terminated a longstanding merchandise agreement with Sports Direct last year and signed a three-year deal with Hummel worth £10 million. Rangers had claimed that a ruling against them would leave “the club, players and fans unable to secure kit and products” and would affect their ability to functionAt the High Court in London, Judge Lionel Persey, QC, said that he did not believe the loss of…

Source: The Times July 23, 2019 23:02 UTC