Abu Dhabi fans dismiss Manchester City financial ruling as Premier League conspiracy

Supporters of Manchester City in Abu Dhabi are largely convinced that an independent commission’s finding that the club breached Premier League financial rules more than 100 times is the result of a coordinated effort by rival clubs to undermine their team, AFP reported on Sunday.

The ruling, which covers alleged violations between 2009 and 2018, has prompted widespread scepticism in the UAE capital — home of City’s Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) owners, controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the UAE royal family. Manchester City has lodged an appeal against the verdict.

Rivals accused of working ‘in the background’

Obeid Al-Heifeiti, 22, said without hesitation that other clubs played a role in bringing the case against City. His friend Salman Al-Otaiba, 29, agreed, saying success invites opposition. The pair were watching City defeat Liverpool 3-0 at a sports bar on Saadiyat island on Sunday.

Across the city, supporters named Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United as parties working against the club. An Emirati father at a mall on Yas Island, who asked not to be identified, said the case had been exaggerated and that established clubs were acting behind the scenes. His son wore a Manchester City replica shirt.

At a strip mall in a suburban part of the city, Khalil Al-Khodri was shopping at ManCity Tailor, a shop specialising in kandooras — the white robes worn by many Emirati men. He said someone was deliberately stirring chaos for personal gain and that the situation was being exploited by outside parties.

A Gulf football writer and broadcaster, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the UAE owners likely felt slighted by the ruling and suspected political motivations. He said the owners believed traditional Premier League clubs were acting to protect their own positions against outside investors.

“They don’t believe they’ve done anything wrong,” he told AFP, adding that there was considerable cultural pride at stake. “It’s a part of the world where honour and pride are very important in dealing with business — a person’s word, a person’s honour is very important.”

From takeover to record trophies

Sheikh Mansour’s group acquired Manchester City in September 2008, a period when oil prices had reached an all-time high of USD147 per barrel and the UAE was expanding its international presence. Abu Dhabi hosted its first Formula 1 grand prix in 2009.

City, who had spent decades as an underperforming club, claimed their first Premier League title in 2012 through Sergio Aguero’s injury-time goal against QPR in the final match of the season. Seven further English league titles have since followed, six of them under manager Pep Guardiola, whose tenure also delivered the club’s first treble — the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League — in the 2022–2023 season.

Gulf ownership extends beyond Manchester

Sheikh Mansour is not the only Gulf figure with a stake in top European football. Qatari football official Nasser al-Khelaifi serves as president of Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning European champions, whose record transfer fee of 222 million euros for Brazil’s Neymar in 2017 remains unmatched. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund purchased Newcastle United in 2021.

The Gulf football expert told AFP there had been significant frustration in Saudi Arabia over restrictions on Newcastle’s spending since the takeover. “It seemed that the minute they bought Newcastle, the rules changed to make it harder and harder to invest in the club and players,” he said, adding that Newcastle were “coming to the party after the booze has run out.”