Abu Dhabi’s City Football Group in global tie-up with Nissan

Japanese auto maker Nissan joins sponsorship ranks of Abu Dhabi's City Football teams including Manchester City FC.

The Nissan brand will have a strong presence at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium as a result of the agreement. Paul Ellis / AFP
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The Japanese car maker Nissan has become the official auto partner of the Abu Dhabi-owned City Football Group, the mother company of clubs including its flagship Manchester City team.

The deal, set to last for five years, is the first global partnership for City Football that will include all the teams it owns. City also owns New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and Manchester City Women’s Football Club. It also has a minority stake in Yokohama F Marinos, a Japanese football team in which Nissan has majority ownership.

Manchester City boasts star players including Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, who paraded their skills during the Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

As a result of the agreement, the Nissan brand will have a strong presence at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, and the carmaker will be granted other opportunities to expose their products to fans of the club. The arrangement, the financial details of which were not disclosed, will complement existing sponsorships for City Football’s network of clubs, Nissan said.

“This innovative partnership enhances Nissan’s investment in the game of soccer which is a key platform to further strengthen our brand globally,” Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. “Additionally, the value-in-kind deal will see Nissan introduce the world’s best-selling electric vehicle to the world’s fastest growing football team, an example of how the collaboration will pair innovation with innovation to bring the excitement of Nissan and soccer to customers around the world.”

The announcement comes amid a spate of sponsorship deals for City Football Group’s teams, including one this month between Etihad Airlines and Melbourne FC under which the Australian team will don a new jersey with Etihad branding.

Manchester City’s large spending bill on players has incurred penalties for breaching financial fair play rules laid down by Uefa, the governing body of European football, that seek to avoid clubs having unfair advantages through deep pockets.

“We are delighted to be working with Nissan as CFG’s first group-wide global partner,” said Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the chairman of City Football Group. “Through our investment in, and support of, the Yokohama F Marinos it has become very clear that Nissan and CFG also share a common passion and ambition for further growth and development. As a result, this new partnership presents us both with incredibly exciting opportunities to collaborate through football both in Japan and across the world.”

mkassem@thenational.ae

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