Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered UAE flag carrier, became the principal sponsor of Man City in 2011, acquiring not only the front space of the club’s kits but also the right for the name of their stadium; what was then called the City of Manchester Stadium came to eponymously be called the Etihad.
The finances of the Etihad deal have always been under major scrutiny. In 2020, the City owners faced an infamous legal battle against UEFA, who had accused them of illegally putting money into the club’s coffers, with their fingers pointing to Etihad as one of those sponsorships. While City manage to swat away the allegations, the Etihad deal remains shrouded in controversy, with details regarding the length of contract and annual revenue generation of the current deal between the two parties remaining undisclosed.
In February 2023, the Premier League released a statement via which it brought against Man City several charges of breaches of its financial rules between 2009 and 2018. At the time of writing, the matter remains open and unresolved.
