Etihad campus
Etihad campus
October 2 – Manchester City sponsor Etihad Airways says it is looking at taking legal action against the Premier League.
Etihad is owned by an Abu Dhabi fund chaired by the brother of City owner Sheikh Mansour.
City have been found guilty of breaching 115 of the league’s financial rules and will appeal. Chief executive Ferran Soriano called the findings a “Premier League conspiracy theory.”
Central to the finding was that Man City deliberately inflated the true value of sponsorships in order to circumvent financial fair play rules over a 10-year period, enabling the cup built itself into one of the biggest and most successful teams in modern history,
The airline said it would “seek the relevant legal counsel on the options and recourse available to protect its interests” and was still standing with City.
“Etihad categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements,” it said.
It added that the league’s publication of the findings, “following a period of selective leaks and reporting,” had hurt Etihad even though the airline wasn’t named in the redacted version of the findings released by the independent commission.
Asahi, the Japanese drinks group that partnered City Football Group in July 2022, kept its distance from the scandal. It told the Press Association it was aware of the findings and City’s plan to appeal and was “continuing to monitor developments.”