Manchester City’s biggest commercial partner has not stepped away from the club after this week’s financial fair play ruling. It has stepped towards it, and squared up to the Premier League instead.
Etihad Airways released a statement late on Wednesday saying it “categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements” and that it “will seek the relevant legal counsel on the options and recourse available to protect its interests”, as reported by sports news agency Hayters.
The Abu Dhabi carrier has been City’s principal shirt sponsor since 2009, took the naming rights to the Etihad Stadium in a 2011 deal and extended that agreement in 2021. Those are precisely the kind of arrangements the independent commission put under its microscope.
‘Damaging implications’ without being named
Etihad’s main grievance is that it was never consulted and only learned the shape of the findings when the decision was made public.
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“At no time did the Premier League reach out to or engage with Etihad in the process associated with the commission’s opinion,” the airline said.
The statement goes on to complain of “selective leaks and reporting” and says the Premier League’s public communication created “damaging implications for Etihad despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings”, according to The National.
A £900m ‘sham’ over nine seasons
The ruling that triggered the airline’s response was confirmed by the Premier League last Friday. An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 of 115 financial fair play charges, concluding that the club arranged “sham” sponsorship deals between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, in which Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, City’s owner, quietly funded parts of the fees that appeared on paper to come from the sponsors themselves.
The purpose, the commission ruled, was to inflate revenue and reduce costs by more than £900m so the club looked compliant with Premier League and UEFA spending limits.
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The telling phrase in a 307-word statement
Football365’s Will Ford has picked out a word choice in the statement that echoes the line Manchester City’s own leadership have taken throughout the case: Etihad refers to a “Premier League commission” rather than an independent one. The panel is convened under Premier League rules but, by design, sits independently of the league.
That slip matters because of how closely linked the parties are. The commission’s central finding was that City’s ownership secretly funded sponsorship payments that appeared on the club’s books as money from sponsors. Etihad is Abu Dhabi’s flagship carrier, and Manchester City’s owner is an Abu Dhabi investment vehicle.
Manchester City have said they will appeal the commission’s findings. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has said the league will act “swiftly” to put sanctions in place.
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