By Andrew Warshaw
September 19 – Manchester United have made inroads into the Gulf market by announcing two regional deals, one with Commercial Bank of Qatar and the other with Emirates NBD Bank.
The club have signed five-year deals with each bank which will see them both become the club’s official financial services partners in their respective countries. No value has been put on the deals.
The agreements allow the banks the right to produce Manchester United branded credit, debit and prepaid cards. Emirates NBD Bank will also market its own Manchester United Savings Account.
“Manchester United is very pleased to be teaming up with both of these prominent banking groups to offer our fans in Qatar and the UAE another way to support their team,” Manchester United group managing director, Richard Arnold, said.
“Both CBQ and Emirates NBD have impressed the club with their commitment to corporate social responsibility, sharing many of the same core values as Manchester United.
“Collectively, the club has over a million followers in Qatar and the UAE and we hope that the introduction of the two new partnerships will allow us further to expand the Manchester United family, bringing supporters closer to the team they love.”
The two bank deals may be very different to the sponsorship arrangements involving the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain but they underline a growing trend of Gulf states getting into bed with major western European clubs in a bid to boost their brand awareness.
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