One of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley's key businesses has suffered a blow after adidas has stopped retailer Sports Direct from selling Chelsea replica kit next season.

The news, which has caused a major rift with the UK’s biggest sportswear retailer, Mike Ashley's Sports Direct after banning the retailer from selling the club’s replica football kit next season, comes as Sports Direct chief executive Dave Forsey refused to defend his company’s decision to employ 90 per cent of its staff on controversial zero-hours contracts.

Forsey said adidas’s decision to only sell the kits elsewhere - thought to be the Chelsea shop at its stadium and adidas stores - was 'impossible to understand'.

He added: 'We don’t believe with our football heritage that customers would be happy. We are still voicing our concerns to Adidas and Chelsea, telling them they are potentially alienating their supporters.'

An adidas spokesman told MailOnline Sport: 'Like all manufacturers, we regularly review, season by season, where our products are distributed.

'We determine distribution channels for all products based on criteria such as in-store environment and customer service levels.

'This is normal business practice and adidas has done this before. This season, we’re implementing a new distribution strategy across Europe for key products in football and other sports.

'We’d like to point out that Sports Direct continues to be an important retailer for adidas and their customers still have the opportunity to buy a great range of adidas products in their stores.'