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## Manchester City vs. Real Madrid – Haaland Naming Rights Dispute (2026) ### Overview Manchester City has threatened legal action against Real Madrid following an incident in which Enrique Riquelme, a candidate for the Real Madrid club presidency, displayed a Real Madrid shirt bearing Erling Haaland's name while campaigning (Al Jazeera, June 4). Manchester City reportedly views this as an unauthorized use of Haaland's name and likeness in connection with a rival club. ### Key Parties - **Manchester City FC**: Haaland's current employer; holds contractual rights over his image and name in a sporting context - **Enrique Riquelme**: Real Madrid presidential candidate who displayed the shirt - **Real Madrid**: The club whose internal election process gave rise to the incident - **Erling Haaland**: The player whose name and commercial rights are at the center of the dispute ### Legal Dimensions - **Image rights and personality rights**: Haaland's name on a rival club's shirt, used in a public campaign context, raises issues under English and Spanish image rights law, as well as potentially under EU personality rights frameworks - **Contractual exclusivity**: Manchester City's player contract likely contains exclusivity provisions over commercial use of Haaland's name and likeness - **Tortious interference**: If Riquelme's use was calculated to induce or imply a transfer, Manchester City may have grounds beyond mere image rights - **Spanish electoral context**: Whether Riquelme's conduct as a presidential candidate attracts any shield under Spanish club governance rules is an open question ### Strategic Implications This dispute may serve as a precedent-setting case for how football clubs protect player image rights against unauthorized use by rival clubs and their officials. The threat of legal action, even if ultimately not pursued, signals growing sophistication in sports IP enforcement. ### Connections - Norway Chess – Total Chess World Championship Tour & Haaland Investment (2026)