Swapping stripes: The distinctive Adidas three-stripe
brand will no longer be on Liverpool shirts
Kit
manufacturers Adidas highlighted Liverpool's lack of European
success as they ended their association with the
club.
The club have announce £150million deal with US company
Warrior Sports after Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer claimed the club did
not offer value for money.
The five-time winners of the European Cup have failed to
qualify for Europe's elite competition in the last two seasons and
look set to do so again this campaign.
'We thought what Liverpool were asking and what they were
delivering was not in the right balance,' Hainer said.
'There was a gap between their performance on the field
and what the numbers should be.
'It all depends on the success and the effort and the
popularity, the exposure on TV and revenue you can generate by
merchandising.
'This all has to be brought in line between what you offer
and what you get. We thought what Liverpool were asking was not...
right, then we said we will not do it - that’s the end of the
story.'
Record deal: Liverpool's £150m deal is the biggest in
English football history
The Reds' £25m-a-year deal with Warrior over the
next six years will double the money the club currently earns from
Adidas and surpasses Manchester United's £23m-a-year deal with Nike
as the biggest in English football.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre responded to Adidas'
attack, saying: 'We are disappointed Adidas seem to point to a lack
of European football as a reason not to agree a new deal, and
cannot see that we are on a par with the biggest football brands in
the world.'
Warrior are a subsidiary of Boston-based New Balance
Athletic Shoe Inc and supply the kit for baseball side Boston Red
Sox, who are also owned by Liverpool owners Fenway
Sports.
General manager Richard Wright celebrated the agreement,
saying: 'We are not the sort of brand that is going to keep out
head down.
'We are here to shake up the world of football and our
partnership with one of the most successful club teams of all time
is just the start.'
Only United, Real Madrid and Barcelona sell more kits
globally than Liverpool. The club will continue to wear their
Adidas kits for the remainder of the season.