Report - Manchester City to keep Etihad Airlines Stadium and Kit Sponsorship

Manchester City to keep £67.5m-a-year deal with Abu Dhabi airline Etihad as the club is hopeful that sponsorship goes beyond next season.

Manchester City have been sponsored by Abu Dhabi airline Etihad since 2009, and the airline company has also had Manchester City’s stadium rights since 2011.

The report from the Daily Mail also states, “that new commercial opportunities for Premier League clubs are complicated by the global financial impact of Covid-19, with industry sources suggesting shorter-term deals may be more prevalent.”

As such, there is uncertainty surrounding the scale of new contracts across football.

Etihad of course, was under the CAS microscope after claims that City owner, Sheik Mansour, between 2012 and 2016, funded the majority of Etihad’s £67.5million-a-year sponsorship.

City, rightly, had strongly denied any wrongdoing and won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a two-year ban from European competition.

Furthermore, Etihad, unlike other sponsors across the world, have no ownership stake in the club.

It’s a good deal that City will benefit from and have even furthered investment by the likes of Silver Lake, a huge investment conglomerate.

Up and on wards.