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Man City paid council £750,000 a year for stadium naming rights later sold for £100m
Man City paid Manchester Council £750,000 a year for stadium naming rights before an Etihad deal worth an estimated £10m a year, The i
Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners agreed to pay Manchester Council £750,000 a year for stadium naming rights in 2011, months before a naming rights deal with Etihad Airways worth an estimated £10m a year, The i Paper reported. The Etihad sponsorship forms a key part of how the club was found to have breached Premier League financial regulations between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
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Man City paid council £750,000 a year for stadium naming rights later sold for £100m
Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners secured the naming rights to the club's stadium from Manchester Council for just £750,000 a year in 2011, according to an investigation by The i Paper. The deal, which increased in line with inflation, was struck months before the club announced a naming rights agreement with Etihad Airways worth an estimated £10m annually. The revelation comes amid growing scrutiny over financial deals between Abu Dhabi entities and the Premier League club. The arrangement has raised questions about whether the council received fair market value for the rights. Manchester City has faced separate allegations regarding commercial revenue arrangements, with football finance expert Kieran Maguire referencing 'sham contracts' in a recent podcast discussion. The club has not commented on the specific findings about the council deal.