EmiratesTelecommunications Corp., or Etisalat, has signed an agreement for athree-year sponsorship deal with Manchester City Football Club thatwill make it the Premier League team's exclusive telecoms partner inthe 18 countries in which it operates.
Etisalat and ManchesterCity signed Tuesday an agreement "which precedes a full three-yearstrategic sponsorship agreement to be formalized later this year,"Etisalat said in a statement. Etisalat did not disclose the value ofthe sponsorship deal.
Abu Dhabi royal Sheik Mansour bin Zayed AlNahyan bought the final 10% controlling stake in Manchester CityFootball Club in September. The sheik, who acquired 90% of the club forGBP210 million in September last year, has since turned it intohighest-spend club in the league.
Thesponsorship deal will also see Manchester City stream specializedcontent to hundreds of thousands of people in a region with one of thehighest mobile penetration rates in the world. The sponsorship willprovide "customized Manchester City FC content through mobilecommunications channels," said Garry Cook, Manchester City's chiefexecutive.
Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates' national airline, also sponsors Manchester City.