Man City given 115 charges boost – ‘huge endorsement’
Manchester City have been given a ‘huge endorsement’ over their image by major businesses, according to a former rival club executive
Haaland, Donnarumma, and Cherki pose for the BYD partnership at Manchester City
Manchester City have completed two sponsorship deals in recent weeks that every rival would ‘pull your arm off’ for in what has to be seen as a ‘huge endorsement’ of the football club as they wait for a verdict on the Premier League charges. City have been facing grave accusations for three years about their past financial activity but have insisted on their innocence from the start and are still welcoming new partners.
Business as usual has been a phrase used to describe the business operations at City since the charges were revealed in February 2023 and the club have continued to grow their commercial activity. Two recent deals have seen Revolut extend their partnership with the club and become the back-of-shirt partner for the men’s team in domestic cup games, while Chinese company BYD now feature on the shirt sleeve of the training kit for the men’s and women’s teams.
Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa executive Christian Purslow believes those deals are two that show City are still able to attract impressive deals ahead of their rivals. Despite the doubts over the future of the club as a result of the charges – with points deductions or expulsion from the league a possibility if the most serious charges are proven – there is no sign in the business world that brands are worried about attaching themselves to City.
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“They are the only club to have £700m of revenue three times. I would also say that one metric the business community would apply to the health of top football clubs is the quality of calibre of sponsors and sponsorship deals, and Manchester City in the last week or two have added two commercial partners, he said on The Football Boardroom Podcast.
“One is BYD, the Chinese EV maker, one of the fastest growing companies in the world, the dominant EV maker in the world nudging ahead of Tesla. Every single football club in the world would want BYD as their automotive car partner; they’ve gone to Manchester City.
“There are no suggestions of any links whatsoever from Manchester City’s ownership group to BYD – it is a huge public Chinese company. Nearer home, the fastest growing fintech company in the world, Revolut, a company that is expected to have a huge public offering in the next year or two, some of the most prestigious owners of the world.
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“Revolut is the fintech banking partner for Manchester City. They’re not just a tick, they are a huge endorsement by major business entities that they want their brand associated with Manchester City so any sense that the business community is holding off endorsing Manchester City because it has some as yet undetermined legal case is for the words.
“If Billy Hogan [CEO] at Liverpool was here, or Vinai [Venkatesham, CEO] at Spurs, or Todd Boehly at Chelsea, and they were offered a chance to have Revolut and BYD as sponsors, they would pull your arm off. That for me is any argument why I see no reason that City might say they should settle this case or give up or not appeal. Why on earth would they draw that? They believe they are innocent, they have a legitimate course of action, I expect them to take it.”
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