Real Madrid will visit the Citizen team at a location that bears its current name due to sponsorship.
In the the etihad stadium playing this Wednesday RealMadridfor the return of the semifinals of the Champions League 2022-23, before the Manchester City. The stadium was not always called that and was formerly known as the ‘City of Manchester’.
Since the historic Maine Road stadium was abandoned in 2003 (and demolished in 2004), City stopped owning their own home and became a tenant, having played at home since the 2003/04 season. It is owned by Manchester City Council, who have leased it to the Premier League club for 250 years.
Why is Manchester City’s stadium called ‘Etihad Stadium’ and what does it mean?
Plans for the building were drawn up in the early 1990s for the British city’s bid for the 2000 Olympic Games, but after the venue was awarded to Athens, its construction (in a smaller size than originally envisaged) was ultimately delayed until 2002, when Manchester was chosen to host the 17th running of the Commonwealth Games: originally, It was inaugurated under the name City of Manchester Stadium.
After that event, during which it was used for athletic competitions, the stadium was converted into a football field, paid for by the city and the city, who agreed to the lease. In 2011, following a renegotiation of the lease terms, the club He changed his name to that of his main sponsor: Etihad Airways.
The agreement with Etihad Airways came into existence in 2011
Manchester City announced the agreement with Etihad Airways in mid-2011, which would include the rebranding of the ‘City of Manchester’ stadium as ‘Etihad Stadium’. The stadium became the main fence of the ‘Etihad Campus’a sports city that originated in East Manchester, with various recreational spaces and various facilities.
In addition, as part of the agreement, which originally lasted for 10 years but was later extended and is still in force, the club enjoys its own aircraft, a light blue Airbus A-330, the team’s signature color, which also carries the advertising wears on his Abu Dhabi national company t-shirt. According to the English press, the agreement has been reached 150 million poundswas the longest in a British club, more than 100 million in 15 years that Arsenal had signed with Emirates.
Source: Goal