Etihad buy Man City stadium naming rights for £1bn
Manchester City look set to confirm they have sold the naming rights at Eastlands to Etihad Airlines.
The Abu Dhabi carrier already have their name emblazoned on the City shirt and it appears that link will now get even stronger.
As yet, there has been no official confirmation, although it could come later today.
The move is not a surprise given City were taken over by an Abu Dhabi-based consortium in 2008, since when Sheikh Mansour has ploughed in excess of £1bn into the club, a sizeable portion of which has gone on transfers.
City secured their first silverware in 35 years last season when they lifted the FA Cup.
However, they also posted recorded losses of £121.3m.
Such a sum would hardly trouble the City hierarchy if it were not for UEFA’s new financial fair play regulations, which came into force this summer.
City are working tirelessly to reduce the losses and whilst qualification for the Champions League will help, selling the naming rights, as agreed by Manchester City Council, will be another important factor.
However, they will not be allowed to report an inflated sum in an attempt to balance the books as UEFA have previously warned all European clubs commercial deals would be subject to scrutiny to ensure everyone adheres to the new regulations.
