Manchester City Send Letter to Chilean Team for Copying Logo
New Chilean football team Santiago City FC have more or less obviously copied Manchester City's logo, and the English Premier League club are not happy with it.
Santiago City FC were founded in 2020 and are yet to play a professional match after joining Chile's third division.
Manchester City Issue Cease and Desist Order to Chilean Club Santiago City Over Badge Similarities
Manchester City have issued a cease and desist order to Santiago City over similarities between their crests. With it, they would also give the impression they are part of the City Football group (CFG). Of the badge, City's lawyers allege "unauthorised use of trademark and characteristic design".
In addition, lawyers acting for the Manchester club, Sargent & Krahn, also flagged a press release by the new club that appeared to admit that their name had been adopted in a "direct attempt to imitate Man City and other teams" in the City Football Club (CFG), the umbrella organisation which contains a number of satellite clubs around the world.
City confirmed that they do not currently have a Chilean side in their stable.
Manchester City order Santiago to "not reuse the requested or registered trademarks, including similar devices."
Santiago City FC - A Very Suspicious New Football Club
There are more suspicious things about Santiago City FC.
Are Adidas really sponsoring them?
First, they give the impression of having a big sponsorship deal with Adidas.
In an interview with the Chilean website Central Deportes, Jorge Sotomayor, president of Santiago City, talked about the identity and aims of the club...
Their president says that he has has good a good relationship with Rodrigo Anguita, a Senior Manager Sports Marketing at adidas Chile. We do not believe that Adidas are officially involved.
Santiago City have a world brand like Adidas as a sponsor..."We have an agreement. I have a good relationship with Rodrigo Anguita, head of the football recruitment area of Adidas Chile. I told him about the project and he told me: “Dale, we support you as much as we can”. He has helped us in every way. We have to take care of the brand, it is super important. It is not minor, nobody helps you in such a category."
And why the colors chosen for the shirt and shield?
"We did a market study. In Chile there is no team that has black with pink, nor has it been seen in the history of Chilean soccer. There is none like us. In the badge we show the modern Santiago. We belong to Santiago, from Pincoya to Puente Alto, from Las Condes to Vitacura, Maipú, Cerrillos, etc. And the colors are an emblem for women, because most of them suffer from breast cancer. And black because there is no team that plays in complete black, except Colo Colo. Some say we look like Inter Miami (laughs)."
Second, Santiago City misused an image of Palestinian refugees to hang on their website.
Third, their website has been "suspended" a few days ago.
Do you think Santiago City FC can keep their logo? Comment below.
