Juventus have been ordered to pay Nike €2m after selling unauthorized jerseys with three Scudetto stars according to Italian newspapers reports from Sunday.
Nike Wanted Juventus to Pay €80m
In Serie A, teams are allowed to place a gold star on their shirt for every 10 Scudetti won and a silver star for every 10 editions of the Coppa Italia. So when Juventus won the first title of the Antonio Conte era in 2012, the club asked then-kit sponsors Nike to add a third star in order to mark their 30th Scudetto. However, Nike opposed the move as the Calciopoli trial technically revoked two of those titles. Juve and Nike nevtherless reached a compromise by releasing a shirt with the lettering '30 sul campo' (30 on the pitch). But the Bianconeri also allowed the release of unauthorized official merchandise with three stars...
As this was not allowed, Nike were quite furious and terminated the contract by mutual consent in October 2013, when Juventus moved to Adidas. Nike requested €80m damages, but the tribunal in Geneva has ordered Juventus to pay just €2m.
Juve have since released a terse statement to clarify matters, saying: "In relation to news published unlawfully today about the arbitration dispute between Nike and Juventus, since in breach of the confidentiality expected from arbitration governed by the 'Uncitral' rules, the club states that:
- The amount it will have to pay is far below two million euros.
- This amount has no relation to the '30 sul campo' initiative, which indeed has produced commercial benefits for Nike as acknowledged by the arbitration panel.
- Juventus reserves every right and action, including the appeal of the arbitration decision.
Juve now hold 30 Scudetti not including those titles revoked in 2005 and 2006.