Terry denies involvement in e-mail campaign

England captain John Terry has sought to distance himself from the mass email sent out touting him for commercial deals. However, it is understood that the England captain signed a representation deal with the company which sent it, according to The Independent.

Terry did not deny that he had an agreement in place with Riviera Entertainment, the Enfield-based marketing company which circulated a crass speculative email this week inviting commercial deals on his behalf. Instead, the Chelsea captain released a hard-hitting statement claiming that neither he nor his advisers had "authorised" the email itself.

However, on Riviera's website Terry is quoted as describing the company as his "ideal partner" in negotiating commercial deals. Terry is quoted as saying: "There are certain commercial areas which I would be proud to be associated with. Elite [his new management company] are in control of my marketing and promotional rights and they have identified Riviera as an ideal partner to help secure the right deals for me going forward."

There has been widespread disbelief in football that a player of Terry's stature could put himself in a position where he was seen to be touting himself for commercial deals so publicly. His predecessor as England captain, David Beckham, was no stranger to endorsement deals but his business deals were never done in such a blatant manner.

Response

In response to the disclosure of the email, Terry released a statement to the Press Association yesterday that read: "An email inviting commercial endorsements for me has been published. This email was sent without my authority or knowledge and was not approved by me (or those advising me). I have nothing further to say on the matter."

While no-one at Riviera Entertainment was prepared to comment yesterday, the company's website still proclaimed that it represented Terry "for his commercial endorsements". When Terry split from his long-standing agent, Aaron Lincoln, in the summer he handed respon­sibi­lities over to Nicholls, a friend of his from his days as a Chelsea trainee.

Nicholls set up the company Elite Management in order to manage Terry's affairs. In another press release on Riviera's official website, Edwards says: "John Terry has a great deal to offer the commercial world and we already have companies on our books that are interested in being linked with such a high-profile brand ambassador. With the World Cup just under nine months away we're expecting a busy winter."