Adidas Taken to Court Over Chinese Footballer's Kit

The battle for sporting supremacy was expected to commence when the Olympics arrive in China this August. But yesterday two international rivals went toe-to-toe in a Shanghai courtroom, as Nike and Adidas tussled over the right to football star Zheng Zhi's endorsement.

Rarely has so much passion been expended over a Charlton Athletic midfielder. But the legal fight is merely a foretaste of their accelerating struggle for Chinese consumers - which could settle their worldwide sportswear battle. While Nike has a global lead, Adidas is catching up fast in China; both firms are expected to enjoy around $1bn (£500m) of business there this year.

Nike signed Zheng, who captains the Chinese national team, as a "brand ambassador" in 2003. Now it is seeking 8m yuan (£580,000) from the 27-year-old and Adidas, arguing the player broke his contract by appearing in the other firm's clothing. It accuses the German firm of recruiting famous players from other brands.

According to state-run newspaper China Daily, Nike's lawyer Yang Jun told Shanghai No 1 intermediate people's court that Zheng had pledged to wear Nike products in public and attend publicity events.

Yang added that in 2005, after Nike had turned down a request for more cash, Zheng wore Adidas boots in Japan and then said he wanted to cancel his contract.

Jiang Xian, the player's lawyer, argued that the case was not justified and alleged that Nike had withdrawn a similar suit accusing Adidas of unfair competition for lack of evidence.