Oh, balls: Sir Richard Branson reignites five-year-old bet with Willie Walsh promising a “knee in the groin”
One of the most high profile rivalries of the skies was reignited yesterday, threatening the manhood – and perhaps the pockets – of Britain’s two largest airline personalities.
The sensational stand-off came to a head when Sir Richard Branson claimed he had won a five-year-old bet against rival Willie Walsh.
Walsh, the boss of British Airways (BA)’s parent company IAG, said in 2012 that he would take a “knee in the groin” if Virgin Atlantic was still around in five years. This was an offer Branson wasn’t willing to forget, as he yesterday called for Walsh to forego his “churlish” choice of punishment and instead donate £1m to the Virgin Atlantic team.
“Although people might be amused to see me give Willie a low blow, I ideally have no wish to do so,” said Branson.
Now Willie Walsh has lost his bet that @virginatlantic brand would disappear within 5 years, rather than his churlish “knee in groin” I propose he honours our original wager and donates £1 million to Virgin Atlantic team https://t.co/iyH7GYegRU pic.twitter.com/Elg6bPgdWL— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 11, 2017
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But the BA boss was pulling no punches, as he hit back saying that Branson’s selling down of his stake in Virgin Atlantic from 51 per cent to 20 per cent earlier this year meant he was the one due a punishment beating.
“When Richard Branson sold out to Delta five years ago, he said he would never give up control,” Walsh said. “As everyone knows, he no longer owns or controls the business, a reality confirmed by the decision to sell more of his shares to Air France. He’s lost the bet.”
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The Virgin titan accused Walsh of “trying to wriggle out” of his promise by changing the terms, saying “the original bet was always about whether the Virgin Atlantic brand would be around in five years”.
Walsh made the bet after US giant Delta took a 49 per cent stake in Virgin Atlantic, thinking the joint venture was the beginning of the end for Branson.
Branson had initially suggested the loser of the bet should hand over £1m, but Walsh rejected the gamble with the snide comment that “Branson is a billionaire banker, allegedly. I’m not a billionaire”.
The bad blood between the two airline dons flows from BA’s 1993 “dirty tricks” campaign against Virgin, which resulted in the latter being awarded then-record libel damages which Branson claims he shared out among staff.
Although Walsh wasn’t even BA’s boss at the time, it seems the animosity has stuck – Branson announced in a clear throwback to the libel case that any money paid by Walsh against the bet could be used as a bonus for staff.
Branson did appear willing to smooth things over after the wager is exacted, saying: “Lunch or dinner is on me, Willie.” So, it seems, the balls are in Walsh’s court.
Once this bet is over (one way or the other) lunch or dinner is on me Willie, and perhaps we can draw a line under the past https://t.co/iyH7GYegRU @virginatlantic pic.twitter.com/6kYQ8SGqFS— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 11, 2017
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