The terms of service for Swoosh, the online marketplace used exclusively by Nike employees, leave little room for manoeuvre. In fact, the very first line makes clear in no uncertain terms that items purchased via the store ‘may NOT be resold, either directly or indirectly, in any manner’ by any user.
One can only assume, then, that the US sportswear company would have been outraged at the end of February, when a Bloomberg investigation revealed that Joe Hebert, the son of senior Nike executive Ann Hebert, had used a credit card in his mother’s name to buy more than US$100,000 worth of limited edition trainers for his resell business, West Coast Streetwear. Apparently known to his customers as West Coast Joe, the 19-year-old would regularly share images posing in front of piles of shoe boxes with the company’s 70,000 Instagram followers, while he also detailed to Bloomberg how the venture was raking in as much as US$600,000 a month.
But get this: Nike knew about it all along. When asked about the connection by Bloomberg, a spokesperson for the Oregon-based manufacturer revealed that Ann Hebert had disclosed relevant information about her son’s business back in 2018, when Nike deemed that “there was no violation of company policy, privileged information or conflicts of interest”.
As these things often do, though, the scandal still ended in a brief press release and a resignation. Just one week after the Bloomberg report, Nike announced last Monday that Ann Hebert would be stepping down as vice president and general manager of its North American division, ending her stint of more than 25 years with the company.
Saudi piffle
Some delightful news from Italy, where Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is 'open' to acquiring a minority stake in Inter Milan. That 'open' and Saudi Arabia should ever go in the same sentence is debatable, but it does at least appear that soccer club acquisitions are back on the menu for the oil-rich kingdom.
In the Premier League, the scene of PIF's failed takeover of Newcastle United, club owner Mike Ashley has reaffirmed his commitment to sell the club to the Saudis, in spite of already losing two arbitration battle skirmishes against the English top flight.
Ashley told Sky Sports he continued to fight “tooth and nail” to close the deal, arguing that fans in the region were “being denied what they deserve” after his latest UK High Court failure. Ashley was seeking to have the chairman of the arbitration panel removed from the hearing on the grounds of apparent bias after finding out the official had previously advised the Premier League on amendments to its 'owners and directors test'.
A lengthy statement issued by Newcastle later concluded: 'The club shall continue to actively pursue its claim in the arbitration and calls on the EPL to resolve the matter in a speedy and transparent way that does not prevent the substantial investment into English football, and the North East region, that the proposed takeover would bring.'
At least one Saudi prince is having more joy acquiring soccer clubs. Sheffield United owner, Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad, has confirmed that he is close to adding French second-tier outfit Châteauroux to his portfolio.
However, it sounds like Prince Abdullah might have buyer's remorse, telling French press: “Our project is not to buy clubs in the third division, we buy in the first division, Sheffield United was the exception, and now Châteauroux is an exception. We realised the possibility of relegation, but we have the possibility of being promoted quickly, and in a few years will be at the highest level in France.”
The Qatar conundrum
Another week, another set of calls to boycott Qatar. Now Norway is feeling the heat ahead of next year’s Fifa World Cup in the Middle East, with a number of the Scandinavian country’s elite soccer clubs calling for the nation to sit out the tournament.
Amid ongoing worries over human rights and labour conditions in the Gulf state, proposals are now expected to be submitted to the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) before a meeting on 14th March. Any decision, though, is unlikely until the national governing body holds its annual general meeting next year.
Of course, Norway will have an easy decision if it fails to qualify. But it is the latest bit of pressure placed on Qatar as soccer’s showpiece event creeps closer. This month, the Dutch government postponed a trade mission to the country, citing concerns over the living conditions of migrant workers helping with preparations for the tournament.
The continued Qatar fallout also highlights increased cries for countries to sit out major sporting competitions. With the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing less than a year away, concerns over China’s alleged human rights abuses have only furthered calls for the US to pull out of the event. Ultimately, that decision rests with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), something it has yet to publicly entertain.
Colour me confused
The Haas racing team recently revealed its livery for the 2021 Formula One season, with a change from last year’s sleek black, red and white colour scheme to something far more controversial. The American outfit opted for the white, blue and red of new Russia-based sponsor, Uralkali. Arguably a downgrade, but so far, so normal.
That the billion-dollar potash fertiliser brand, however, are backers of Haas' new Russian driver Nikita Mazepin is a bigger problem. As part of sanctions handed down by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) last year, Russian athletes are currently banned from competing under their national flag.
As such, Haas have had to deny what anyone can see clearly, that their new livery is a brazen slap in the face of that Wada ruling.
"No, we didn’t circumvent anything," Guenther Steiner told Autosport, with the Haas team principal insisting the livery was conceived before the Russia ban.
He added: "Obviously we cannot use the Russian flag as the Russian flag, but you can use colours on a car. In the end, it’s the athlete which cannot display the Russian flag and not the team. The team is an American team."
The wonderful twist here is that Uralkali has had to rebrand itself, too. Announcing the deal with Haas, the company revealed a 'new corporate logo', which conveniently abandons its former green and red colour scheme 'to improve Uralkali's brand recognition as Russia's largest producer of potash fertilisers' by adopting the tricolour of its national flag.
Needless to say, Wada is investigating the matter.
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The Link LonkMarch 09, 2021 at 03:42PM
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