ABU DHABI // The world's largest Manchester City football jersey is on display at Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi. Fans of the team have been invited to sign the shirt, which will be sent to the UK by the team's sponsor, Etihad Airways. "According to the Guinness World Records, this is the largest Manchester City shirt ever made," said Yanal Almir, account manager at Professional Sports Group, the organisers of the event.
The 22 metres long and 18 metres wide stretch of blue fabric had been folded several times to fit in a cordoned-off area on the first floor of the mall. "It is the size of a building," said Mr Almir. The shirt has already been showcased at Al Ain's Al Jimi Mall, as well as at the Emirates National School in Abu Dhabi. It will continue to be on display at Khalidiyah Mall today and tomorrow from 5pm to 10pm.
"We already have 2,000 signatures and we are hoping to get 5,000," said Mr Almir. One of those who put their signature on the shirt yesterday was Kriengsak Wangdulyakiti, an Abu Dhabi resident, originally from Thailand. "We received the news via sms by Etisalat an hour ago and came here," said Mr Wangdulyakiti as he was having his picture taken beside the shirt. In 2009 Etihad announced it had signed a three-year deal to be the official shirt sponsor and partner of the Premier League team, which is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
