Guardian
Thursday April 6, 2006
AIG become third United shirt sponsor with £56.5m deal
Manchester United have secured a British record-breaking four-year sponsorship deal worth £56.5m with US finance company American International Group (AIG).
United had been set to sign a huge £70m deal with gaming company Mansion, but talks broke down after the club raised concerns about being associated with a gambling operation. The deal with AIG dwarfs that of Chelsea (with Samsung), which is worth around £10m-a-year.
"We passed up the opportunity to do the world's biggest shirt deal to do the right shirt deal, one that is right for Manchester United and one that underlines our position as the world's leading club," explained United chief executive David Gill.
"AIG's global operations complement our great fan base and we are excited about the global prospects this relationship brings. This is a blue chip deal for a blue chip club."
Officials at the club were keen to demonstrate that Malcolm Glazer's controversial £790m takeover had not tarnished the Manchester United brand, and the AIG deal goes some way to reassuring them of the club's standing in the commercial world - particularly in light of Vodafone's decision to terminate a £9m-a-year contract earlier this season.
"On and off the pitch, Manchester United always seeks to be both the first and the best," Gill went on. "We do things differently to others. Whether it's our faith in our Academy over the years, or our approach to sponsors - we are unique.
"The Manchester United shirt is the most iconic image in world sport and the chance for companies to appear on it is very rare. This deal re-establishes the club firmly among the most valuable names in world sport."
AIG will become only United's third kit sponsor, following Sharp and Vodafone. Juventus still have the world record sponsorship deal, worth £15m-a-year from Libyan oil company Tamoil.
