At that time, the former French coach, then managing Arsenal, urged the then UEFA President, Michel Platini, to clarify the sponsorship agreement. "This deal raises serious questions about the legitimacy of FFP", Wenger stated while on tour with Arsenal in Malaysia. "That is the crux of the matter. They are sending a message that they can circumvent the rules at any cost, which means FFP will completely fail. That is the simple truth. I understand how they are doing it, but this raises a very significant question. The weight and credibility of FFP are on the brink".

Arsene Wenger during his time as Arsenal manager, in the technical area during the Sunderland – Arsenal match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England on 25/10/2014. Photo: *Reuters*

He further emphasized: "Sponsorship amounts must be valued at their true market rate. This figure cannot simply double, triple, or quadruple, because if that were the case, it would be better not to enact any rules at all and allow everyone to operate freely. That approach has its merits, but once rules are established, all parties must respect them".

One year after Man City's acquisition by the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Etihad Airways began sponsoring the club. Initially, the brand appeared on the team's jerseys. By July 2011, the two parties signed a 10-year agreement valued at 400 million pounds (approximately 530 million USD).

In return, Man City's home stadium was renamed Etihad Stadium. Concurrently, this agreement also funded the construction project for the Etihad Campus complex in the surrounding area and extended the shirt sponsorship deal, which had previously brought the club 2.3 million pounds (approximately 3 million USD) annually.

In comparison, the contract Arsenal signed with Emirates airline in 2004 was worth a total of 90 million pounds (nearly 120 million USD) over 15 years. Of this, shirt sponsorship contributed approximately 48 million pounds, while stadium naming rights generated 2.8 million pounds annually. "Perhaps we sealed a deal that was too cheap", Wenger once quipped.

In 2018, Wenger departed Arsenal. He currently serves as FIFA's Global Football Development Director.

On 29/9, an independent commission investigating the Premier League's allegations of Man City violating financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 issued a ruling. The commission found that the Manchester club had inflated its sponsorship revenue by 830.69 million pounds (1.101 billion USD). Accordingly, actual sponsorship funds from partners were determined to be worth only 119.25 million pounds but were falsely declared by Man City as 949.94 million pounds.

Man City's Etihad Stadium from the outside, with the Etihad Airways brand affixed below the club's logo. Photo: *AFP*

The ruling detailed that Man City had employed a "disguising equity funding" mechanism, concealing the true nature of sponsorship contracts and transforming them into legitimate commercial relationships. This allowed them to formalize the recording of full sponsorship fees as commercial revenue, even though these funds primarily originated from ADUG's owners.

In the commission's ruling, the names of the sponsors were redacted. However, previous investigative reports by German magazine Der Spiegel identified the two largest Man City deals as involving UAE state-owned enterprises: Etihad Airways and telecommunications company Etisalat.

In the latest development, Etihad Airways sent a statement to British newspapers The Times and Guardian, completely rejecting the accusations against it. The group also criticized the Premier League for "never making contact" throughout the investigation.

The airline, valued at approximately 5.29 billion USD, argued that this lack of contact meant they "had no opportunity to be represented, to provide relevant information, or to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the documents used to draw conclusions that are being interpreted in a manner detrimental to the brand".

Finally, Etihad Airways affirmed its intention to consult legal advisors regarding available options and remedies to protect its legitimate interests.