Manuel Sanchez Gomez |
London (EFE).- Manchester City received 373 million euros in commercial income (which includes sponsorships) last season. 51% of its turnover comes from this channel, which includes agreements with 52 companies around the world and which has grown by 563% since the purchase of the club by the United Arab Emirates. The Premier League is alert: the competition accuses City of more than a hundred financial irregularities that threaten its status as one of the most important clubs in England.
City’s commercial income places it as the third club in the world that receives the most money in this way, only behind Paris Saint Germain (383 million, 58% of its income) and Bayern Munich (378 million, 58 %), according to Deloitte’s annual report. In this same scenario, Real Madrid, in 2021/2022 (the season in which they were league and Champions League champions), received 318 million for that concept; Liverpool, just 275 million, Chelsea, only 209.
To understand City’s financial explosion, it is convenient to go back to the 2008/2009 campaign, the first after the purchase of the club by the United Arab Emirates investment fund. That season, when Robinho joined the team, City had a commercial income of 21.1 million. Since then, these emoluments of the English club have grown by 563% until the end of 2022.
That same year, Real Madrid, prior to the second stage of Florentino Pérez as president of the club, presented commercial income of 139 million in its accounts. The growth figures of a team that has won five Champions Leagues since then are not even close to those of a City that received spectacular financial support from companies such as Etihad Airways, owned by the United Arab Emirates. The airline began its sponsorship of City in May 2009 and, in addition to sponsoring the shirt, gave the stadium its name, the Etihad Stadium.
According to Deloitte, Etihad put about 30 million euros on the table for that first agreement, which would last for three years. The new status of the team, which was expected to move from mid-table to fight for the Champions League, also allowed Umbro to replace Le Coq Sportif as shirt supplier. The clothing brand disbursed 60 million over three years.
Three years later, Etihad renewed its commitment, tripling the bet: 10 years of sponsorship. There the numbers shot up. City went up to 138 million euros in commercial income in 2011/2012, their first campaign in the Champions League and the year in which they were proclaimed Premier champions for the first time in forty years.
Since then, their income has not stopped rising, except in the 2016/2017 season, with a setback of just 8 million, and in 2018/2019, with a brake of 4 million. Not even 2020/2021, disastrous due to covid for most teams, affected them too much. His endorsements increased that campaign by more than 20 million.
Close ties with the emirate
Currently, the City has commercial agreements, either globally, regionally or locally with 52 companies. Of these 52 companies, eight are closely related to the Government of the United Arab Emirates. These are Etihad (airline), Experience Abu Dhabi (tourism), E& (telecommunications), Emirates Palace (hotels), Aldar (real estate investment), Masdar (renewable energy), First Abu Dhabi Bank (banking) and Healthpoint (hospitals). ).
In other words, a significant part of City’s sponsorship income comes from companies that belong to the same owners as the club itself. An attempt was made to stop this practice last year, when the purchase of Newcastle by the Saudi Arabian investment fund was formalized. In fact, this norm was voted with the only refusal of Newcastle and City, which abstained. In the end, the practice was only halted for a few weeks and then returned to normal.
The Premier somewhat follows the line of UEFA, which already accused City in 2020 of fattening its accounts through sponsorships. An accusation that ended in a two-year sanction without European competitions, but that knocked down the Superior Court of Arbitration, leaving him with a fine of 10 million euros.
This time the Premier has more than a decade of evidence and a four-year investigation behind it, in addition to the fact that City will not be able to go to the TAS, since the Premier does not recognize this institution.
If the accusations are true, City’s league mates want the sanctions to be harsh, even possible relegation.