In a weird turn of events, Barcelona attacking midfielder Rafinha has been ordered by a Dutch court to start wearing boots of German manufacturing giants Adidas again or face a fine which could potentially reach up to €1m. The court has warned the Brazilian midfielder that he will have to pay a fine of €10,000 for every single day which he breaches his contract with Adidas, upto a maximum of €1m.
Adidas have claimed that Rafinha has been breaching a contract with them, by not wearing shoes designed by the manufacturers for the past five months. The midfielder has instead opted to wear a black pair of boots designed by Mizuno.
The midfielder thought that his contract with the German giants had expired five months back but Adidas have stated that they decided to exercise a clause in the contract which gave them a right extend the contract by five years.
In a counter-argument to the lawsuit, Rafinha’s representatives have stated that Adidas did not support the midfielder enough during his serious injuries in 2015 and 2017. They have also added that the extension clause in the contract was a hidden entity.
But the district court in Amsterdam where the hearing has been taking place and where the initial sponsorship deal between the two parties was signed has ruled in favour of the manufacturing company. The judge said in a ruling, “Although he is no legal expert, he knows how sponsor deals work.”
The legal hassles have meant that Rafinha’s season has gotten all the worse. Already struggling with finding regular playing time at the club, he then suffered a serious injury, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. This has ruled him out from action for the remainder of the season.
