Premier League powerhouse Manchester City announced a partnership with little-known Asian betting site 8Xbet earlier in the summer. The brand became the club’s official betting partner in Asia.
“We are delighted to welcome 8Xbet as Manchester City’s regional partner today,” said Tom Boyle, Vice President of Global Partnerships Marketing and Operations at City Football Group. “8Xbet shares our commitment to entertaining and providing excellent experiences for both customers and fans. The new partnership provides the club with the opportunity to further increase our presence in the region and we look forward to working with 8Xbet.”
According to Manchester City, this Asian betting site was launched in 2018. It aims to provide customers in Asia with “unique, engaging and high-quality experiences.” One deal between the two entities apparently involves product placement inside the Etihad stadium. In addition, there is an increase in the association’s presence throughout Asia.
English clubs regularly partner with betting sites. Eight Premier League teams use betting companies as official shirt sponsors. However, these companies, such as fun88, Daalphabet or Hollywood Bets, have thousands of followers on social networks. These are established brands.
On the contrary, in the case of Manchester City, 8Xbet has little information available. Even the betting site’s social channels have almost no followers. Manchester City does not follow either account, for reference.
In addition, former Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United player Teddy Sheringham is a brand ambassador for 8Xbet. The Champions League-winning striker produces YouTube videos analyzing Premier League matchups. 360 subscribers on the YouTube channel barely watch these videos.
Manchester City partners with Asian betting side 8Xbet
The data company Similarweb suggests that the 8Xbet website has received less than 5,000 visits in total.
Along with the few social media accounts, there is also some confusion behind the 8Xbet brand. Although they are targeting Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, it appears as if they are being targeted from within the United Arab Emirates. Reports suggest that 8Xbet’s English Facebook and Twitter pages are managed in the United Arab Emirates.
Of course, Manchester City has considerable ties to the United Arab Emirates. The club’s owner, Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Sheikh Mansour), is the brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates.
These reports also claim that 8Xbet has a connection with QOO Global. This is a marketing company based in the United Arab Emirates that apparently only has one major client: 8Xbet. QOO Global currently has a small social media reach similar to 8Xbet.
It remains to be seen if Manchester City will mention their partnership with 8Xbet outside of the initial press release. However, it seems strange that such a small company could strike a deal with a huge Premier League club.
PHOTO: IMAGO/PA Images
