Cristiano Ronaldo, Premier League stars dragged in Italian resto legal battle

UK based Italian restaurant chain Cibo has named footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and a number of other celebrities as part of a case aiming to stop other restaurants from using the same name.

Along with the Portuguese star, his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and other former Manchester United stars such as Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were named as regular patrons of Cibo restaurants in Hale and Wilmslow.

The football stars were mentioned in papers submitted to the High Court as part of Cibo's attempt to stop other nearby restaurants from using the same trade name to deliberately confuse potential customers.

Apart from the Manchester United legends, Cibo also mentioned Liverpool players Mohammed Salah, Alison Becker and Darwin Nunez among the list of high profile customers who helped raise the profile of the brand.

The lawsuit has been lodged against Cibo Manchester, Cibo Liverpool Road, and Cibo Great Northern, which are all run by a different entity.

The Sun obtained parts of the complaint by Cibo Hale and Wilmslow, which read: "The Claimants' exceptional level of service, stylish décor and reputation has helped to attract high profile and celebrity customers to their restaurant. The Claimants' customers include a range of high profile individuals and celebrities from across the UK, many of whom are known worldwide."

This is where they mentioned the football stars along with singer Will.i.Am and boxer Tyson Fury among others.

They said that their celebrity clientele helped build their reputation, which is now being damaged by the unaffiliated restaurants using the same name. They mentioned comments made by customers who expressed their disappointment that the food and service was "not the same."

"The goodwill, and the associated reputation, of the Claimants is likely to be damaged by wrongly being associated with provision of the Defendants' services. The defendants have made misrepresentations to the public that are calculated to lead, have led, and/or likely to lead to the public being deceived."

Cibo adds that the defendants even copied their logo and interiors in a deliberate attempt to mislead diners.

There is no information on whether or not the footballers and other celebrities are expected to appear in court or share their statements.