Explosive twist! Etihad ready to sue the Premier League over 'sham' sponsorship claims
Etihad Airways is seriously considering legal action against the Premier League after the competition's lawyers described Abu Dhabi sponsorship agreements with Manchester City as a sham during the hearings of the 115 charges case, according to the Daily Mail.
Details: As reported by Mike Keegan, the Abu Dhabi based airline, whose name adorns City's stadium and shirts, is furious at the suggestion that its partnership with the club was not genuine.
According to the Daily Mail, Etihad's management believes that the language used by the Premier League during the case has caused serious reputational damage to the company. The sponsorship contracts between City and Abu Dhabi linked partners were at the very heart of the accusations: the league claimed that the deals were inflated and in reality represented disguised funding from the club's owners. The Athletic previously revealed that Abu Dhabi linked companies accounted for around £831 million of the £950 million in sponsorship revenue declared by City during the period under investigation. Etihad insists that its agreements were genuine commercial deals concluded at market value, and the airline's lawyers are now studying options for a lawsuit. Such a move would open an entirely new front in the conflict between the Premier League and the Manchester club's camp, which is already preparing an appeal against the guilty verdict on 114 of the 115 charges.
It's worth noting that the Premier League itself is coming under growing pressure from all sides. Top flight clubs are demanding that sanctions against City be confirmed before the end of the season and are preparing compensation claims, while the threat of legal action from one of the league's most recognisable commercial partners could turn into a new nightmare for the organisation. A court battle with Etihad would drag the league into years of litigation with a company closely linked to the Abu Dhabi government, at a time when the case is already straining relations between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
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Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
