We can exclusively reveal that the new headline sponsor of Swansea City Football Club for the 2016-2017 season is Malaysia Airlines.
Whilst an official announcement is due to be made by the club later this month, SCFC2 can exclusively reveal that the sponsorship deal is estimated to be worth in the region of £20million over the course of the initial four year agreement.
It is thought that the deal was struck in December last year when Swans vice-chairman Leigh Dineen met with Malaysia Airlines executives in South America, whilst Chairman Huw Jenkins was interviewing prospective candidates for the Swans managerial hot seat after the departure of Garry Monk.
The club will surely be delighted with the financial details of the multi-million pound deal and although not in the same league as the £40million-per-year deal enjoyed by Manchester City courtesy of Etihad Airways, it is still a significant amount of money.
Exact details of the sponsorship deal are as yet unclear, but aside from a financial reduction clause in the event of relegation, the only mute point appears to be the insistence of Malaysia Airways that an all-blue away kit is used, such as the one in the artists impression below.
With the club known to be continuing with Adidas as their official kit supplier, Swans fans will not need reminding of the similarities of the proposed away kit and the blue Adidas jersey currently used by Championship side Cardiff City, whom of course, also have Malaysian sponsors in the form of ‘Visit Malaysia’.
Of course Malaysia Airlines are no stranger to British Football or indeed the Premier League having been a sponsor of Queens Park Rangers, along with Asia Airlines, during the 2011-2012 Premier League season.
Despite numerous calls to the Liberty Stadium, Leigh Dineen was unavailable for comment about the actual agreement between the two parties.
We were also unsuccessful in our attempts to speak to London based Malaysia Airlines executives Danny Tan and Yu So Dum, whom is alleged to have brokered the deal with Dineen.
However, his colleague Sum Ting Wong, was a little more forthcoming and confirmed a deal had been struck but sadly was unprepared to divulge any of the finer details with us.
The huge financial benefits of the deal cannot be ignored, but we do wonder how the Jack Army will feel about the Swans playing in the blue of their nearest and dearest rivals!
Ah don’t you just love the 1st of April
Absolutely brilliant!
April fool!
Thank god there’s only one April fools day 👍
Yea yea April fools we are not Cardiff
Yu so dumb and sum ting wong
Well done scfc 2 I heard this twice this morning people are actually going for it
I only thought clubs sold their identity if it meant playing in red.. . . ? Good try though