Earlier this week Arsene Wenger accused the Manchester City hierarchy of “doing what they want” in ensuring that they keep in line with the financial fair play regulations that UEFA are imposing on European clubs. Last week, Manchester City agreed a 10-year sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways that is believed to be worth around £400million, making it the largest deal of its kind throughout the history of sport. The airline is owned by the Abu Dhabi government, and with club owner, Sheikh Mansour, being a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, Wenger has insisted that an investigation in to the arrangement be carried out.
The agreement will see City’s ground be renamed the Etihad Stadium, and will provide the financial support for the development of the ‘Etihad Campus’ – a vast area of land around the stadium that looks set to include training and sports facilities for the club and players. The deal also includes an extension on their current sponsorship of club shirts, however, in comparison to other Premier League sponsor deals, this one does seem to be rather unique in value.
Wenger has accused Manchester City of trying to “get around” the regulations that UEFA are hoping to enforce, and believes that if clubs are allowed to ‘do as they please’ or ‘bend the rules’ that are in place, then the credibility of the financial fair play system will come under severe scrutiny.
Wenger seems adamant that “if financial fair play is to have a chance, the sponsorship has to be at the market price”; once it is “doubled, trebled, or quadrupled” then the concept of ‘financial fairness’ becomes somewhat redundant. In comparison to Arsenal’s deal with the Emirates back in 2004, Wenger sarcastically suggested that the club “must have done a bad deal”, as this was valued at only £90million and stretches over a 15-year period. Wenger has encouraged UEFA president Michel Platini to investigate whether or not Etihad have paid an inflated price in their sponsorship, especially as one of the financial fair play regulations maintains that even those sponsors with close links to club owners must still pay ‘fair’ sums of money for their deals.
Wenger’s objections to the recent on-goings in Manchester do seem justified. The financial fair play system was brought in to prevent the wealthier clubs buying the most expensive players and offering the largest salaries to players. It was deemed that this would prevent other clubs from developing or improving their sides, as clubs would nearly always sell to those digging the deepest into their pockets, and players would often look to join those willing to pay the highest wages.
If, however, clubs are able to strike deals with companies that will ultimately help to ‘balance the books’ then this surely defeats the whole point of the financial fair play system. Not all clubs will be offered the kind of deal that City have been able to arrange, and so will not be able to attain the same kind of funding from their sponsors. This funding from Etihad Airways will effectively allow City to continue to spend big and offer high salaries to their players, and it seems that so long as you have the right contacts, clubs can find ways to “get around” the regulations and standards put in place.
City have responded to the comments made by Wenger, and have described them as “unfounded and regrettable”. Whilst the financial details of the agreement in place are set to remain confidential, the club has claimed that the figures being speculated about are inaccurate. The situation at Manchester City is set to be assessed by experts at UEFA, and only then will we know exactly how influential this sponsorship will prove to be. For the time being I cannot help but share the concerns of Arsene Wenger, and see this deal only as a way in which Manchester City can continue to spend big; continue to sign the top players; and continue to pay the highest wages. The majority of clubs cannot compete financially with the likes of Manchester City, and if there are flaws within the financial fair play system, or ways of “getting around” its primary purpose, then these ought to be addressed by UEFA sooner rather than later.
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It is UEFA’s responsibility to monitor club’s finances, not Arsene Wenger. It seems to me he needs to worry about his own club a bit more.
PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED WHETHER MAN UTD SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO FLOAT ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE IN THE EARLY 90S, ALLOWING THEM TO OUTSPEND EVERY OTHER CLUB IN THE PREMIERSHIP FOR NEAR ON 20 YEARS, WINNING 19 TITLES IN THE PROCESS? HORSE AND BOLTED SPRINGS TO MIND. DO YOU WANT A LEAGUE WHERE ONLY MAN UTD CAN WIN IT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE SPENDING MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE ON BETTER PLAYERS? IF SO CARRY ON. FAIR PLAY? DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH!
Try reading what you have written from a neutral point of view and you’ll find that there are some major flaws in both your arguements “The agreement will see City’s ground be renamed the Etihad Stadium, and will provide the financial support for the development of the ‘Etihad Campus’”. So, the price for the naming rights includes a. Naming the stadium, b. financial support to develope the Etihad Campus, which involves regenerating the surrounding area and c. Shirt sponsorship. Look at the figures, say £100M for the naming rights (within line of Arsenals deal from 7 years ago, not taking into account inflation in football), £20M for the shirt sponsorship (within line of United etc) and the rest spent on regenerating east Manchester which you will be hard found to get change from £300M I’d guess. So UEFA, check all you like but as you have nothing to compare it to, there will be no problem! Cheers CTID
Wenger is right to question this deal. And UEFA has to investigate those concerned.
He wants the cartel to remain untouched bless him.
Tough luck Wanger.
AW s right ,but it’s a deuty of UEFA to investigate any club.
What he’s trying to do is influence Uefa for his own gains, like Rummenegge did. Shameless and shameful. He should be preparing for life after Arsenal not worrying whether Michel Platini is competent or not.
Arsenal & Liverpool have both expressed their concerns about City’s sponsership… I wonder why ? the fact that these two clubs are the most likely to have their noses pushed out of the ‘Cosy Big 4’ who have been benefitting from the ‘Monopoly’ Champions League revenue has brought them over many, many years – might just have something to do with it !
Wouldn’t mind reading these articles if they actually had an impartial point of view. Every heard of real Madrid? Barcalona? Millions upon millions of debt, the Spanish government even gets involved with there finances. Where was the curageous and level playing platini then? He brings in these rules when city came into the Market with a full wallet, ready to try and break the status quo. Who holds the British transfer record? City? Who holds the world transfer record? City? People need to realise that our owners ain’t using city as some play thing, they’ve plans that stretch so far beyond the relms of football it’d make your small narrow minds implode. Jobs, regeneration projects…come back in 10 years time and talk about how “unfair” this all is. Football is evolving, and the “evil city” are paving the way…..watch this space.
hes right of course.. how can the naming rights be worth more than the stadium?
When you realize that the airline is private, part owned by the City owner, has never made a profit, the deal looks very shady.
If this is allowed then Abramovich can set up a company, put 400M into it and then use the Romanski Widget Company to sponsor Stamford Bridge urinals for 400M.
At this point the fair play rules will be dead.
Is it Fair Play that Arsenal can include revenue from selling housing stock from the old Highbury Stadium towards their Accountable Turnover? Surely this gives them an advantage over most clubs.
Is it fair that Barcelona & Real Madrid can negotiate their own TV deals at 10 times the amount of English clubs, putting all English clubs at a disadvantage?
Is it fair that clubs having been allowed many years of unregulation on spending, now suddenly are all agreed on restriction once Manchester City finally reach the Champions League?
Is it fair that clubs hundreds of millions in debt are deemed Ok, but a club not in debt and providing hundreds/thousands of new jobs for the locals in the community is targeted.
Financial Fair Play just doesn’t work on so many levels and should be thrown out.
It’s not just the stadium though is it. City have a 200 acre site with lots more planned than just the stadium. Etihad is the ‘national’ airline of Abu Dhabi, it’s not a private concern. Why’s the big spotlight on absolutely everything City do… didn’t hear anyone shouting when Liverpool blew £35M on Carroll or Chelsea spending £40M on Torres… Oh, but they’re part of the so called Big 4 aren’t they… makes me laugh.
what really makes me laugh… City are now bigger than the 4 of them altogether, Ha !
Come on now, the question was put to him and he answered. He didn’t set out to accuse Man City. And by the way, Man City didn’t address anyone by name in their response. The media has made this into a Wenger v Man City, when it isn’t.
Of course it has to be investigated, that’s the point of having ‘financial fair play’? Nobody in the press knows the ins and outs of the deal (i’ve heard a number of quoted figures), so until it’s decided either way, there’s not much point talking about it. In other words, we all know f all, wenger included.