Blues dial up fresh Arab connection
MANCHESTER City has unveiled a new sponsorship deal with a Middle East telecoms firm.
The club, announced the deal with Etisalat, in Abu Dhabi yesterday. City – owned by billionaire Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour – is already sponsored by Etihad, the national airline of the Gulf kingdom.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed which precedes a strategic sponsorship agreement that will be formalised later this year.
As part of the terms of the agreement, Etisalat will become the exclusive MCFC telecoms partner in the countries of Etisalat’s operations.
The MoU was signed in the presence of club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive Garry Cook, Etisalat chairman Mohammad Hassan Omran and chief marketing officer Essa Al Haddad.
Mr Cook said: “The profile of the club is already growing globally, and the ability to effectively expand this growth with tailored communications forms the core of our agreement with Etisalat.
“This strategic opportunity allows us to connect to passionate football fans around the Middle East and African regions, providing customized Manchester City content through mobile communications channels.”
The company has sponsored the UAE national team, the UAE football league, now known as the Etisalat Pro League, as well as UAE club teams competing in international competitions.
It provides a broad range of fixed line and mobile phone services to more than 94 million subscribers across 18 countries.
