Renaming the City of Manchester Stadium after Etihad Airways, Manchester City's shirt sponsor, didn't seem like too bad an idea. City had only moved in in 2003, so there was no real history associated with the ground, and there's a lot of money coming in with the deal, enough to make compliance with the impending UEFA Financial Fair Play rules far easier. So, all good in Etihad Stadium land? Not quite.
‘Etihad Stadium’ Translation Causes Manchester City Embarrassment
Querying several Arabic translators, Manchester Evening News determined the meaning of 'Etihad', and it's a little embarrassing for Manchester United's 'noisy neighbours':
[Etihad means ‘unity’. It] can also stand for union, alliance, friendship and united.
-Mohammed Nizami, Manchester City council translator.
[Etihad means] ‘united’ in Arabic. It means, literally, ‘united’.
-Yusuf Bagail, teacher at Alfikr Arabic School.
In other words Manchester City now play in United Stadium. Even if you don’t care about either team, this really couldn’t be any more perfect.
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