Manchester City Football Club is being sued by global fashion brand Superdry over their training kit — specifically, their Asashi sponsorship logo.
As per Law360, a High Court claim has been filed against the football club for an alleged case of trademark infringement due to the placement of the beer sponsor on their primary blue training gear and pre-match apparel, which is stylised as ‘Asahi Super Dry 0.0’.
Man City signed on to wear the Japanese alcohol brand on various bits of official club kit in July 2023 and the branding itself has been featured on television on multiple occasions, resulting in the fashion label of the same name accusing the club of breaching their 20-year-old trademark.
The UK-based company claims that “the differences between Super ‘Dry’ [Asahi’s stylicisation] and Superdry are so insignificant that they may go unnoticed by the average consumer.”
Superdry reportedly requested an “injunction to restrain” the football club from using its name in papers lodged in London on 15 December and is also said to be pursuing costs but is “presently unable to quantify the exact financial value of this claim”.
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Founded in 2003, Superdry boasts over 515 locations in 46 different countries, including three in Greater Manchester: Manchester Arndale, Trafford Centre and Superdry Bury Store.
If found guilty of the lawsuit, which was launched on 15 December, the trial date is expected to take place around August It is unclear how much of a financial penalty the club would incur.
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Since the suit arose, fans may have noticed that Asahi’s branding on City’s training and pre-match kits has now been updated, simply reading as ‘Asahi 0.0%’.
Man City are now donning new training and pre-match jerseys following the Superdry lawsuit. (Credit: IG)
Quoted in The Telegraph, Philip Roberts KC — representing Fox Williams LLP on behalf of the fashion brand — said that the club would need to carry out “destruction or modification upon oath of all goods and other items… [which] would constitute a breach of the injunctions”.
As seen above, this has now been done with the alteration of the Asahi sponsorship print and wording, but the barrister said, “The sponsored kit is identical to each of the selected goods” and is “identical with or similar to the mark for which the Superdry Registrations are registered”.
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He goes on to add that the circumstances “give rise to a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public”. The club has yet to issue an official response but, given the changes that have now been made, they will be hoping for a resolution.
The City Football Group also still has 115 FFP charges looming over its head as football fans everywhere wait to learn of their fate.
Featured Images — Manchester City/Comma Papana BS200 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Wayne Rooney joins the cast of Gary Neville’s The Overlap
Danny Jones
Wayne Rooney has secured a new job just a few months on from departing as Birmingham City head coach, with the Manchester United and England legend being named as the latest member of The Overlap team.
Set to join the cast of the popular Stick to Football online series alongside the likes of former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the recurring panel.
Rooney is also set to feature on various other shows across The Overlap channel, including the likes of their regular fan debates and other interviews with athletes and well-known figures.
They announced the signing in true transfer window fashion as well.
As transfer expert Fabrizio Romano quips in the video, Rooney “has signed an agreement with The Overlap” and is expected to make his debut very soon
‘Wazza’ has appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports in recent weeks and has even been spotted playing some FIFA with comedy YouTuber AngryGinge as part of his pro clubs series, but hasn’t been in a steady role since being sacked as the Birmingham manager at the start of the year.
Having already appeared as a guest in one of the most popular episodes of Stick to Football and clearly sharing a strong chemistry with his old friends – as well as the likes of fellow Scouser Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott and Ian Wright – it looks to be a natural fit for the sport-based channel.
The 38-year-old revealed some pretty interesting details about his playing and managerial career last time around, not to mention some of the other offers he’s had since…
Rooney reiterated during his own interview that his primary focus is still on coaching and finding his next managerial role, but for the time being, he’ll be bringing the insight of another ex-pro to the popular YouTube channel.
Speaking on his latest move, the former striker said, “I’m excited to announce that I will be joining my good mate Gary Neville and the team at The Overlap to appear on the channel across some of their brilliant shows on YouTube and the podcast. I can’t wait to get started”.
With an episode from at least one of their series going out most weeks, you can expect to see the footballing legend back on the channel soon.
Featured Images — The Overlap/Wayne Rooney (via Instagram)
Sport
Manchester City star Erling Haaland is now a playable character in Clash of Clans mobile game
Danny Jones
In yet more proof that footballers just live in an entirely different world from us, Manchester City star Erling Haaland has popped up in the popular mobile game, Clash of Clans – and it’s not just a little cameoeither.
Haaland‘s no stranger to the odd brand deal, so when we saw him cutting a promo for Clash of Clans we weren’t too surprised, but it’s safe to say we weren’t expecting to see footballers pop up in video games besides FIFA (sorry, EA FC) at any point this year.
The big number nine is not just a famous face to help push the already hugely popular mobile strategy and city-building game, they don’t need it; it turns out the lethal goalscorer is now going to be an actual playable character in the latest Clash of Clans update.
He even turned his hand to a bit of acting in the trailer:
As you can see, the 23-year-old stars in the new advert which sees troops appear in his home whilst he’s playing the game before being sucked into the game world.
Starring as the Barbarian King, he’s the first real person to ever feature in the game and will be available through a month-long football-themed seasonal event in-game.
When we stop and think about it, the Norwegian striker is pretty much a perfect fit given his Scandinavian heritage and the obvious Viking theme surrounding the franchise – not to mention the fact that he’s apparently been playing the game since he was 10.
He’s also been dropping a hint or two of late, in case you didn’t pick up on them.
Speaking on the collaboration, Haaland said: “I’ve been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it, so to appear as an in-game character is really cool”.
As for Finnish developer-publishers Supercell, CoC’s general manager Stuart McGaw said in an official announcement: “When we heard Erling Haaland was a fan of our game and that he wanted to partner with us, it was really a dream scenario.”
Haaland will be available to recruit in the game until 31 May, plus, if players raid his village and take down the Barbarian King himself, they can win additional rewards and a place on the leaderboards.
Danny Jones -
8th January 2024 
