There are two reasons why Manchester City are frequently mentioned in the South American media.
First because the City Group has been very interested in local clubs, and following the purchase of Montevideo Torque and Bolivar, they’re now said to be after a Brazilian side.
Then there’s the fact that Manchester City have been going after several South American talents, having last month announced the signing of Julian Alvarez from River Plate.
Now there’s a quite curious motive why the Premier League side get an entire page from Chilean newspaper La Tercera. That’s because they’re approaching a small local club who supposedly copied their name and crest.
‘The powerful Manchester City threaten Chilean club for the use of its brand and crest,’ says the newspaper. They call it a David vs Goliath battle, since it’s a fight against a fifth division side.
La Tercera even features the full letter sent by City’s lawyers, and these are some paragraphs.
“Despite the fact that the name Santiago City has the same structure as the names of the City Football Group teams, what most concerns my client is the use of a design structured on the same graphic elements that characterise the famous design of Manchester City.
“Manchester City are concerned that its brand and especially the design it’s currently using on the market is likely to create confusion in the market and be associated with our client’s brands and goodwill, as well as misleading the public to believe that Santiago City has become part of the City Football Group, which is not correct. Consequently, the design you are using cannot co-exist with the Manchester City trademarks and our client has the right to protect its position by enforcing its commercial property rights.
“Failure to comply with the foregoing may lead our client to take legal action against you. However, it would be in the interest of all parties if this matter were resolved amicably.”
La Tercera also features a response from Santiago City, who claim they’re not trying to copy the Premier League side.
‘We communicate and clarify that we are not part of your group and it’s not our intention to confuse anyone, otherwise any confusion is out of our control, bearing in mind that the media are editorially independent.
‘We sent the answer within the indicated deadlines. Now the ideal would be for the boards of both clubs to make contact on friendly terms. Because we have to verify what they are pointing out, that our design or crest has the same proportions and we’d have any intention of appearing as if we were from the City Group. And it is not like that.
‘This letter is a kind of warning, that’s how I understand it. But the spirit is always to achieve a kind of friendly exit. Verifying that everything they say is true, we would consider the option of changing the crest.
‘This is a humble club that registered the name of Santiago City and in no case has it been alluded to, or hinted at, that it is part of any business group. Call it what it’s called.
‘There is a mismatch in that information and it will have to be demonstrated. That is why the directives have to meet to clarify possible differences, but in friendly terms.’
