Well we had a good run. But we have recently been made aware of the sad death of football as we know it. The reason Manchester United are yet to confirm the appointment of Manchester United is due to a hold-up relating to his image rights.
According to Sky sources, Mourinho has agreed the length of his contract and his salary.#MUFC #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/QhtzUYK7Ab
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 25, 2016
To misquote his predecessor: image rights, bloody hell! The reason for the hold up is because Chelsea - in their infinite, corporate wisdom - trademarked Mourinho's name, so the club could flog merchandise with their manager's name on it. IT means that, as well as everything else, Mourinho was a toxic investment in his final season with Chelsea. Dave Phillips was the first to flag this:
Interesting #sportslaw q. - how will CFC owning the Mourinho trademarks affect MUFC's attempts to commercialise him? pic.twitter.com/FTu83ET2Q7
— Dave Phillips (@lovefutebol) May 24, 2016
Chelsea are not the only club to see the commerical success that can be gleaned from a media-friendly manager. Liverpool trademarked 'The Normal One' in response to Jurgen Klopp's first press conference in October:
#lfc applied for a European trademark for "The Normal One" on 19 October, ten days after Klopp made that remark. pic.twitter.com/Wc3pRLKeIl
— Dave Phillips (@lovefutebol) January 12, 2016
Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball around a field and at the end, the Germans always have the best balance sheet.
It is worth noting that Jame Ducker of the Telegraph is tonight reporting that these issues have been resolved, so expect some more movement and possibly an official announcement tomorrow morning.
#MUFC have finalised Mourinho contract after commercial complications delayed process https://t.co/udTB585IWf
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) May 25, 2016
Image rights, for a manager. Honestly.
