Secret Control Through Intermediary Ownership

“The two came to a secret agreement. In the eyes of the Dassler family, Adidas France owned just 49 percent of Le Coq Sportif. But André Guelfi gave 2 percent of his own package to Horst, and granted him an option to acquire the remaining 49 percent at any time. The 2 percent and the option were issued to Horst person- ally, as opposed to Adidas. In other words, unbeknownst to his family, Horst had taken over control of Le Cog Sportif. The agree- ment marked the beginning of an intense partnership between the two men.”

“Yearning for yet more influence, Horst Dassler resolved to build up an unofficial team dedicated to international sports relations. While all of his disciples were taught to make friends, the sports politics squad, patched together in the seventies, went much fur- ther. Their activities were geared entirely toward the infiltration of leading sports organizations.”