He said if Newcastle fans were unable to buy their kits at Sports Direct then they wouldn’t buy other goods there either and “may never come back”, with people “losing faith in the credibility” of the store. Thomas de la Mare KC, representing Newcastle United, said Sports Direct had not produced a “scintilla of evidence” to show the deal would harm competition and there was “simply no evidence” to substantiate the claim. Mr de la Mare said the only club Sports Direct had taken legal action against was Newcastle United, which Mr Ashley sold for £305m ($386m) to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in 2021 after 14 turbulent years at the Magpies’ helm.