Donāt you just hate it when you start a business with your sibling, fall out over something stupid, start your own rival company which begins a trade war that divides an entire town for decades and re-shapes the entire sportswear industry?
Yeah hasnāt happened to us eitherā¦yet!
One family that knows this story all too well is the Dassler Brothers. Their long-standing feud saw the creation of two incredibly influential sportswear companiesā¦Adidas and Puma.
These brands have been in constant competition for customers, athletes, and team sponsorships.
For almost two decades Puma was able to gloat that it provided the kits for one of the best football teams on the planetā¦the Italian national team.
When Italy triumphed over England in the Euro 2020 final, we assumed that Puma executives would have been jumping for joy that their team were kings of Europe (especially since the best placed Adidas team lost in the semi-final to Italy.)
Well, it looks like Puma isnāt that fond of Italy anymoreā¦
Not only did they refuse to improve on their current ā¬20 million a year deal when the contract came up for tender, but they also let fierce rivals Adidas take over as the official kit sponsor!
Puma giving up Italy was certainly a surprise, considering that the national teams from the five most important markets in Europe are now all signed with Nike or Adidas:
š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ England - Nike (ā¬42M per year)
š«š· France - Nike (ā¬50M)
š©šŖ Germany - Adidas (ā¬56M)
šŖšø Spain - Adidas (ā¬40M)
š®š¹ Italy - Puma Adidas (ā¬20M ā> ā¬35M)
So why would Puma give up so easily?
It appears that, despite Italyās success, Puma was not seeing a lot of shirt sales in return.
"The financials made it a poor business case and we therefore decided to not exercise our matching right," explained Puma in a statement.
While Puma will remain the sponsor until after the World Cup in Qatar, Adidas is set to take over with a new four-year deal worth around ā¬35 million a year.
This agreement will cover men's, women's, and even the nationās esports teams.
Will Puma regret giving up their association with Italy and handing potentially the best team on the planet to their fierce rivals? Only time will tell.
š Story of the Week
āThomas Tuchel Should be Prime Minister!ā
It is difficult to manage Chelsea at the best of times! The club is notoriously demanding and will fire any manager (even beloved club legends) after a few bad results.
But what Tuchel is being asked to do at Chelsea is on a whole other level.
Recently, the U.K. government-sanctioned Abramovich for his close links to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has launched a horrific attack on Ukraine that has seen the Russian army commit war crimes against the civilian population.
While the majority of Blues fans accept the need for a change in ownership and support the action taken against Abramovich, the sanctions have placed the clubās future in jeopardy.
Major sponsors have suspended their deals, the clubās accounts have been frozen and the government has imposed a ban on any non-approved transactions including the sale of tickets, players, or merchandise.
The club faces the potential of not completing the season and will probably need to go into administration if they are not sold to a new owner within the next few months.
In the middle of all of this off-field commotion, Chelseaās menās, womenās, and youth teams are all trying to compete.
Tuchel is often sent out alone to field questions from journalists on topics ranging from his tactics to the geopolitical situation in Ukraine.
Each day that goes by, the pressure increases on Tuchel and his players as they attempt to knuckle down and play football.
Abramovich is fleeing to Israel while documentaries are released claiming he illegally defrauded billions when making his fortune. At the same time, Chelseaās association with Russia tarnishes their brand image as Putin drops more and more bombs on women and children.
Most leaders would probably buckle under this sort of pressure and you would forgive the Chelsea players for being a little off the pace in recent weeks.
But, Chelsea have won every single match since Abramovich was sanctioned. Tuchel has managed to keep his squad focused on playing football, and his influence is being felt off the pitch as well. The fanbase, which is naturally scared for the future of their club, is often calmed by Tuchelās mature and robust answers to questions.
With over 200 potential parties supposedly in talks to buy Chelsea, it looks like a change of ownership and a return to stability is just around the corner.
Tuchelās heroics have even led former Chelsea player Joe Cole to suggest that Tuchel should be made leader of the entire United Kingdom!
'Going back to Tuchel's leadership, we've been through such turbulent times and we've seen such poor examples of leadership throughout our society.Ā
Then you see a football manager stepping up like that, talking like that, doing that and it is just a breath of fresh air. He should be Prime Minister.'Ā He explained to BT Sport.
š¤Ŗ Weird Deal of the Week
Manchester United to Demolish Old Trafford?
Ah Old Trafford, the āTheatre of Dreamsā.
The home stadium of Manchester United earned this name because it has hosted so many of the clubās most successful moments.
From Fergusonās years of domination to that time Ole Gunnar Skolsjaer guided his side to a shot on target against Watford.
More recently, the stadium seems to be doing a better job inspiring Unitedās rivalsā¦
The obvious solution? Knock the whole thing down and rebuild!
According to a report by the Daily Mail, that is actually one of the options being considered by the club as they look to make some much-needed renovations to Old Trafford.
There are supposedly three options on the table:
Knock it all down and build a new modern stadium similar to Tottenhamās new home.
Renovate and increase the capacity of the South Stand.
Revamp the spectator and corporate facilities throughout the stadium (toilets, lounges, food stalls, etc)
The Daily Mail report claims that revamping the South Stand, which would take the capacity of Old Trafford to around 80k, is the preferred option for the club's owners, the Glazer family.
That probably has something to do with it being arguably the cheapest way to increase matchday revenue! Nothing to see hereā¦just the Glazers being the Glazers!
Supporters would probably prefer the club to improve the current facilities, which many have criticized for being woefully inadequate.
It is predicted that most United fans, who are understandably clinging to a much brighter past, would be strongly opposed to a complete rebuild.
Even if a rebuild was chosen, it is likely to cost over Ā£1 billion and take in excess of two years to complete (assuming there are no delays!)
For now, the club is looking over proposals from architects and engineers regarding the three options and have vowed to consult fans in the near future.
š± Social Media Madness of the Week
Did Ronaldo Inspire Tom Brady to Return?
If most people poured oil on themselves and leaned up against a Bugatti they would probably be reported for a hate crime and sued by Bugatti for damages!
When Ronaldo posts that very image on Instagram he gains millions of likes and millions more in cash!
That is the power that comes with being one of the greatest athletes of all time.
It appears that Ronaldo doesnāt just use this influence to make money, he is also capable of inspiring people to completely re-think their biggest life decisions!
When recently retired American Footballer Tom Brady went to Old Trafford to watch United play Spurs he probably spent most of the game trying to figure out why no one was wearing a helmet or pads.
But the incredible display of Cristiano Ronaldo needed no translation. The 37-year-old Portuguese superstar shook off recent criticism to sink Spurs with a hattrick.
After the game, the two legends of their respective sports met up on the pitch for a chat. Ronaldo asked Brady if he was finished, to which the American simply respondedā¦š¬.
The next day, Brady posted on social media to announce his return to action with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So, did Ronaldoās heroics, despite his age, convince the 44-year old seven-time Super Bowl champion that he still had something left to give?
The internet certainly thought so.
While Tom Brady is likely to have considered this decision over the last few weeks, we imagine that witnessing Ronaldo perform heroics at 37 certainly helped make his decision that little bit easier.