It could be a very costly error.
If you’ve got the slightest interest in Liverpool, Barcelona, or football for that matter, you’ll be aware of the bungle that resulted in Nike preemptively announcing that Philippe Coutinho is on his way to Barcelona this January.
Under a banner describing Barcelona as “Where the magic happens”, the website posted a link to buying Barcelona shirts with Coutinho’s name printed on the back, saying that the midfielder is “ready to light up Camp Nou.”
On Monday, respected Times journalist Paul Joyce made clear that this was far from the case, calming many a wrought Liverpool fan’s nerve. Unless a yet non-existent mega fee was submitted from Barcelona, Coutinho was going nowhere.
Thank Klopp for that! https://t.co/Vq3xcJkJke
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) January 1, 2018
But a further twist came later in the day when Coutinho was absent from the squad to play Burnley, adding fuel to the speculation that the Brazilian was indeed off.
Now reports have emerged in Brazil, via ESPN, that Liverpool are to sue Nike for their indiscretion in revealing the (as yet) non-transfer. They claim the ‘Reds’ will demand an ‘astronomical indemnification’ from the American brand due to their ‘carelessness’.
Whether these reports are true remains to be seen. But it just adds to what is becoming a very unwelcome distraction to Liverpool’s season.
