Midnite trolled Man City fans with 500 free ‘115 charges’ scarves given to Man United fans ahead of Manchester derby

X- @Midnite

UK gambling operator Midnite caused a stir before last weekend’s Manchester derby, by handing out 500 free scarves to Manchester United fans. 

The fans featured United’s red colours with the yellow number 115 in the middle and details of the 115 alleged financial rule breaches. 

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A spokesperson for the company said: “We caused a stir ahead of the Manchester derby by handing out special edition scarves that reminded City about their 115 charges. We wanted to create a keepsake for fans in attendance as City fans face an anxious wait over their alleged breaking of financial rules.”

An investigation into the charges concluded in December and City and their fans are awaiting an announcement of the outcome of those findings. 

Possible penalties include: points deductions, relegation and even the stripping of some of their titles and cups.

Midnite, which have recently announced their first sports sponsorship deal, and launched their first TV advertising campaign, caused a real stir before this season’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. 

The company handed out 500 red scarves emblazoned with the yellow number 115 and details of the 115 alleged financial misconduct charges faced by City. 

The charges stem from a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018 and allege that the 10-time Premier League champions broke Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, designed to prevent clubs from spending more than they earn. 

The Sheikh Mansour-owned club deny all allegations, but the charges could lead to potentially hefty penalties. 

There have been calls for the Citizens to be docked points, and have their three Premier League trophies from that period stripped from them. Some have even called for them to be excluded from the league altogether. 

The scarf stunt, which is sure to have angered Manchester City and their fans, may have been the most exciting action of the day, with the two fierce rivals playing out a drab 0-0 draw. 

Most of the post-match coverage concentrated on fan abuse targeting Phil Foden and directed at his mum.

Midnite has enjoyed a busy few weeks. As well as the attention it got for the scarf stunt, the London-based company announced earlier this month that they have signed their first sports sponsorship deal.

The company has become the official betting partner of the World Snooker Tour – the deal will commence with the Halo World Snooker Championship starting on 19 April. 

Midnite also saw its first TV ad campaign launch at the end of March, appearing on Sky, Channel 4, and Channel 5. And, in April, they announced the appointment of former Sky Bet trading head Zach Amin as their vice president of sportsbook. 

As well as spending 11 years at Sky Bet, which is part of Flutter, Amin also worked for stats aggregator Opta.

Midnite founder, Nick Wright, said of Amin’s appointment: “Welcome to Midnite, Zach! Thrilled to have you on board as we disrupt the UK market together. Big things ahead.”