Piqué is a versatile personality and he does not sit idly by. As soon as the media league he founded started, Gerard rushed back to the front pages of sports tabloids. Now, the former Barcelona central defender has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit on behalf of his company Kosmos at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). And Piqué is not going to sue anyone, but the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
And I have to say, in this story, that the Spanish soccer veteran played very well ahead of the curve. While the ITF unilaterally terminated the contract concluded with Gerard’s company for 25 years, alleging that the footballer had not fulfilled his financial obligations, Piqué, without waiting for a lawsuit from the injured party, quickly organized his own. Now, Kosmos plans to recover from the International Tennis Federation for the “unreasonable” termination of the contract, and also compensate for the damage that Piqué will receive as a result of this decision.
Recall that in 2018, Shakira’s ex-husband’s company signed a multi-year cooperation agreement with the ITF and became a key partner of the federation in organizing the Davis Cup, the main team tournament for men. Piqué and her Kosmos, according to the contract, were going to invest some 3,000 million dollars in total in tennis, and 40 million euros in the Davis Cup annually. But the coronavirus pandemic disrupted those plans. In 2020, the payments, by agreement of the parties, were reduced to 10 million euros, in 2021 they rose to 20 million, and in 2022 they almost reached the desired values: Gerard found 36 million euros. The International Tennis Federation planned to finally reach the numbers prescribed in the agreement this year, but Kosmos again called for a delay. This forced the ITF to terminate the contract. And if the court at least partially satisfies Piqué’s claims, it will still be considered a victory for Kosmos.
The fact is that since the beginning of the agreement with the federation, Gerard’s company has only lost money. During the four-year contract, the Spaniard invested five times what he earned. However, the footballer, a well-known lover of radical reforms and schemes, received his bonus anyway from this story. It was the cooperation pact between Piqué and the ITF that allowed the latter to decide on the Davis Cup reform, which the International Tennis Federation had long dreamed of, but could not implement, it had too much criticism.
Until 2019, the draw was held throughout the year on a playoff basis. Now, the qualifying stage takes place in March and the final part lasts only a couple of weeks, in the fall. The country and city of the venue are chosen in advance. And despite the fact that, thanks to the collaboration with Piqué, the Davis Cup prize fund was considerably increased, there were no fewer discontents with the reform. And it seems that the upcoming trial will not fare well with the ITF in terms of expediency of the revolution. But the federation does not plan to back down, as well as in the courts, where the Spanish soccer player will soon be waiting for a counterclaim for damages and debts.
