MANCHESTER, UK // Stars of the English Premier League will soon compete in the Etihad Stadium following a multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal between Manchester City Football Club and the UAE’s national airline.
The 47,800-capacity City of Manchester Stadium was renamed Etihad Stadium as part of the deal, which extends the airline’s sponsorship of the club’s shirts. While the value of the deal was not disclosed, Bloomberg News reported it is worth US$480 million (Dh1.76bn) over 10 years.
The move cements Etihad’s relationship with the club, which this year won the FA Cup and next year will take on teams in Europe in the Uefa Champions League. The deal “could quite possibly be one of the most important arrangements in the history of world football,” said Garry Cook, the chief executive of Manchester City Football Club.
The area around the stadium will be known as the Etihad Campus, while the two companies will also cooperate on media, ticketing and hospitality initiatives.
