Manchester City planned to unveil its brand new crest on Saturday, December 26 (Boxing Day). In the past several days, the club has embarked on a marketing campaign with posters adorned throughout the streets of Manchester. However, its plans have been dealt a blow after the new crest has been leaked on the Internet by the UK’s Intellectual Property Office.

The new crest, pictured below, was selected after help from the club’s historian and City supporters. The new Manchester City crest includes elements of previous City crests (see above) including the ship, rose and circular design. The shade of blue is also different than on other crests.

City have had three major badges since the 1930s and adopted their previous crest in 1997.

Fans were asked to fill out a questionnaire while a dedicated consultation space and exhibition were set up at the Etihad Stadium for several weeks.

City chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “The badge is the most visual representation of Manchester City and is so central to our heritage.”

SEE MORE: Read a free excerpt of the Manchester City book, ‘Blue With Envy’