Soccer is not just a battle of two teams. It goes way further by bringing in various stakeholders who may or may not be associated with on-pitch activities. And English soccer provides one such example of an off-field battle that does not allow Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to wear ‘Emirates’ on its sleeve, especially in the FA Cup.

The shirt logos mean a lot of revenue for the teams with the availability of marketing gimmicks to capture the fan’s attention. The amount of money the team earns can be in the millions annually. But why would Manchester City be deprived of earning such a huge amount? That too, just in the FA Cup?

Reason for Manchester City players not wearing ‘Emirates’ on their sleeve

In the FA Cup, they provide teams with jerseys featuring the Emirates logo on the sleeve. It is because Emirates Airlines is the title sponsor of the trophy. And Manchester City itself has opted out of wearing the Emirates sleeve patch because of its jersey sponsor, Etihad Airlines. Etihad is a direct competitor of Emirates; hence, due to the conflict in marketing, the Sky Blues are exempt from wearing the logo.

The Premier League winners have had permission since 2015, when Emirates took the sponsorship. Etihad has been with the club since 2009 and made a crucial deal in 2011 until it expired in 2021. They then extended the deal year by year until City received a better offer from elsewhere. According to reports, Manchester City obtains $85.9 million per year from the airline, which doesn’t allow competing airlines to stamp their logos.

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But regardless of such external factors, Manchester City has marked its authority in the oldest professional soccer competition, beating Manchester United 2-1 in the last edition. The club is again on a journey to defend its title against Huddersfield Town on Sunday, January 6th.

Team news for Manchester City versus Huddersfield Town

According to reports, the club’s superstar, Kevin De Bruyne, returned to training along with winger Jeremy Doku. However, it is uncertain that Pep Guardiola would risk both of them considering the ease of the fixture. Additionally, the boss also feels that playing Haaland could be risky considering his bone issue, even though he is better. Another player to miss out on will be Rodri, who unfortunately lost his grandmother recently.

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However, with the solid bench strength that City has, they can make up for the missing players. Players like Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish are expected to hold the attacking midfield. Mateo Kovacic could play as the holding midfielder, with the other four at the back line. Julian Alvarez will be the striker. 

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