UEFA has pledged to investigate all major sponsorships involving top European clubs after Manchester City unveiled a lucrative sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways on Friday, reports Sport Business. The 10-year commercial partnership is thought to be worth as much as £400 million, with the wide-ranging agreement comprising naming rights for the Premier League club's stadium as well as shirt sponsorship. Etihad is the national airline of Abu Dhabi, whose ruler is the half-brother of City owner Sheikh Mansour.
City, which is expected to announce a significant financial loss in two months' time, has insisted the deal was based on legitimate market values and will help the club to move towards meeting UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.
However, a UEFA spokesperson told The Independent on Sunday: "UEFA will use relevant experts to make assessments as to the fair value of any major sponsorship deals, using appropriate industry benchmarks."
The spokesperson added: "These will then be considered by the Club Financial Control Panel, together with any relevant information the clubs present regarding the deals, when they assess the break-even requirements."
City CEO Garry Cook said that there had already been conversations between the club and UEFA over meeting the new Financial Fair Play regulations.