Even 10 years on they can't report it accurately -
Worth a reported £400m, Etihad’s acquisition of the stadium naming rights and shirt sponsorship was immediately questioned by rivals who suggested it was higher than market value.
The pricing of commercial arrangements between soccer clubs and corporate partners is subjective, but soccer managers nonetheless felt aggrieved enough to cry conspiracy.
"Sponsorship has to be at the market price”, complained Arsenal’s then-manager Arsene Wenger, when asked about the deal back in 2011.
“It cannot be doubled, tripled or quadrupled,” the Frenchman said, referring to his team’s £90m deal with Etihad’s Dubai-based rivals Fly Emirates for a similar sponsorship package over 15 years.
Fly Emirates paid £90-100m for the stadium naming rights only in 2006.