The Saudi entertainment conglomerate Sela has sued Fanatics Studios in England over their conflict involving a flag football event fronted by Tom Brady, Front Office Sports has learned.
FOS previously reported that the partnership between Fanatics and Sela was “in peril” following a disagreement over how to proceed with the event amid geopolitical issues. After the United States attacked Iran in late February, Saudi officials pushed for the event—which was scheduled to take place in Riyadh in March—back a year. Fanatics wanted to press forward and held the event in the Los Angeles area on March 21.
Sela—which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF)—filed the lawsuit in England’s commercial court last month. Due to English law, the suit remains under seal because it has not been formally acknowledged by Fanatics Studios, the production arm of the apparel and collectibles company.
Fanatics Studios declined to comment. Reps for Sela could not be reached for comment, nor could the law firm Wiggin, which is representing Sela, or Skadden, the attorneys for Fanatics Studios.
In addition to Brady, current and former NFL players including Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, and Rob Gronkowski participated in March’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic, as did influencers including Logan Paul and iShowSpeed. It aired on Fox and averaged about 650,000 viewers.
After Fanatics moved the event to the United States against the wishes of Saudi officials, the latter pulled further funding. The dispute with Fanatics comes as PIF also plans to sever its funding of LIV Golf.
The growth of flag football has been a priority for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in recent years. The sport will be featured in the Olympics for the first time in 2028 in Los Angeles.
