It's good news for Manchester City's bottom line, if not for their self-respect: The club now plays in Etihad Stadium. The cost to Etihad Airways? A cool £150M over ten years, and that's money City desperately need if they're going to meet UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations. Etihad, of course, already sponsor the club's jerseys, and that deal is being extended until 2022 as well. ESPN has quoted City chief executive Garry Cook as confirming the deal:
City Of Manchester Stadium Renamed After Etihad Airways
We are delighted to announce a 10-year extension of our partnership with Etihad Airways. The partnership will not only cover a shirt sponsorship extension, but also the Etihad Stadium. The wider area around the stadium will be known as the Etihad Campus. There are other elements, such as media, business and community co-operation.
It could be one of the most important arrangements in the history of world football. The partnership is about continuing to increase our investment in youth development, the scale and scope of our community programmes and continue to build our profile in major markets.
Unlike many of their competitors, City don’t have an old stadium with a tonne of history behind it (football was first played there in August 2003), so this rebranding makes a fair bit of sense. It also brings in lots of money, and that’s the important thing in the modern football world, eh?
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