Man City handed 115 charges boost as former Premier League chief spots major hint

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Manchester City have secured two sponsorship agreements in recent weeks that any competitor would 'bite your hand off' for in what must be viewed as a 'massive vote of confidence' in the football club as they await a ruling on the Premier League allegations. City have been confronting serious claims for three years regarding their historical financial conduct but have maintained their innocence throughout and continue to attract fresh commercial partners.

Business as usual has been the expression employed to characterise the commercial operations at City since the allegations emerged in February 2023 and the club has continued to expand its corporate activity. Two latest agreements have witnessed Revolut prolong their association with the club and become the back-of-shirt sponsor for the men's squad in domestic cup fixtures, whilst Chinese firm BYD now appears on the shirt sleeve of the training strip for both the men's and women's squads.

Ex- Liverpool , Chelsea and Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow reckons those agreements are two which demonstrate City remain capable of securing impressive partnerships ahead of their competitors. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the club's future as a consequence of the allegations - with points penalties or removal from the league a potential outcome if the gravest charges are upheld - there's no indication in the commercial sphere that brands are anxious about linking themselves to City.

"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," Purslow 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.

"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.

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"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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