The conflict follows Terry’s decision to sever his ties
with Lincoln, the former
Chelsea
kit-man who negotiated the deal on his behalf.
Sport understands that Lincoln claims to be entitled to
a percentage of the Umbro money as part of the deal, but that
arrangement has been questioned since the acrimonious split with
Terry. Lincoln is pressing his claims and negotiations are
ongoing.
The dispute comes as Terry waits to hear the verdict of Fabio
Capello, who is considering whether to retain him as England
captain following disclosures about the centre-half’s affair with
Wayne Bridge’s former girlfriend.
Sources close to England manager Fabio Capello say he remains
unsure of what to do about Terry. While he has the highest regard
for the centre half as a player and a skipper, he recognises how
difficult the situation has become. But as much as Capello remains
troubled, it is what might come next that also concerns him and the
FA.
Capello is under pressure to make a public statement on his
return on Friday following knee surgery.
The dispute is also an unwelcome complication for Umbro. Last night
a spokeswoman for Umbro said: “We do not comment on our players.
Any dispute between a player and an agent is a matter for
them.”
The disagreement with Lincoln is one of the consequences of
Terry’s decision to change his team of advisers last August. In
splitting with Lincoln, who also represents Wayne Bridge, Terry
also lost the guidance of long-term personal solicitor Angus
McBride, who also represents the England players’ committee, and PR
consultant Mark Bolland, a former personal secretary to the Prince
of Wales.
Terry has since placed his affairs in the hands of an
Essex-based company, Elite Management, run by the Rushden and
Diamonds chairman, Keith Cousins, and Paul Nicholls, a former
team-mate from the Chelsea youth squad. In recent days PR adviser
Phil Hall, a former News of the World editor, has begun working for
Terry in an attempt to counter the tide of negative publicity, and
the potential for further revelations from Vanessa Perroncel, who
is represented by Max Clifford.
While Terry must take responsibility for his own behaviour,
questions have been asked about the advice he has been receiving.
The affair with Perroncel is just the latest in a recent string of
personal indiscretions by Terry that have attracted media
attention.
Terry is no stranger to unwelcome press coverage but it appears
his associates have struggled to navigate the squalls created by
his personal conduct.
The decision to seek a “super-injunction” preventing publication
of allegations about his relationship with Perroncel looks
particularly unfortunate. Media opposition to the use of
super-injunctions is universal, and by seeking to close down the
story Terry and his advisers simply alerted the rest of the print
and broadcast media to its existence. The net effect was to amplify
interest in the story, reaping a whirlwind of adverse publicity
when Mr Justice Tugendhat revoked the injunction last Friday.
The judge observed that the motivation in trying to prevent
publication included the impact of adverse publicity on Terry’s
earning power. The judgment also revealed that two unnamed business
associates of Terry approached Perroncel and asked her to sign
documents preventing her discussing the affair.
Sources close to Chelsea have rejected suggestions the club
advised Terry to take legal action.
Lincoln was Terry’s long-term agent until disagreements ended
their relationship in August. The catalyst for the split was
Terry’s negotiations with Manchester City, which Lincoln conducted
on his behalf. Terry sealed an improved deal at Chelsea with the
blessing of owner Roman Abramovich worth at least £150,000 a
week.
Terry is also understood to have been unhappy at the failure to
secure him more sponsorship deals. It is striking given his profile
how few endorsements Terry has, evidence perhaps that his previous
off-field troubles may have been a factor. Umbro is his only
personal sponsor and a deal with King of Shaves expired in
2008.
Elite’s attempts to fill the sponsorship gap began poorly when
Terry was forced to disown an email, sent by Riviera Management, a
company who had been engaged by Elite Management, circulated in the
football industry touting his availability for commercial projects
off the back of his anticipated leadership of England at the World
Cup in South Africa.
Neither Cousins nor Nicholls have commented since the recent
controversy broke and neither they nor Lincoln returned calls
yesterday.
Tale of two England captains . . .
David Beckham
England caps: 115 (59 as captain)
Estimated worth: £125m
Estimated annual salary: £4.1m
Personal sponsors: Adidas (boots), Motorola
(phone), Sharpie (pens), Cabao Sao Roque (holiday resort, Natal,
Brazil), Emporio Armani (underwear).
John Terry
England caps: 58 (28 as captain)
Estimated worth: £17m
Estimated annual salary: £7.8m
Personal sponsors: Umbro (boots). Also appears in
Samsung and Nationwide advertising as part of Chelsea and FA deals.
Had a deal with King of Shaves that ended in 2008.
