London (AFP) - Manchester City's financial scandal threatens to tarnish one of the most striking showcases of Abu Dhabi's "soft power" and faces Britain with high-risk surgery to preserve its long-standing relations with the United Arab Emirates.

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 13:50

"I must stay out of it. It would be wrong for me to act otherwise," British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC after the verdict of the independent commission that declared the club, owned by Abu Dhabi since 2008, guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

"I would be very concerned if they left. They have been an important partner in the transformation of Manchester," acknowledged, however, who led Greater Manchester from 2017 until last June, a region where Emirati investments are palpable.

Since its acquisition by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president and deputy prime minister of the Emirates, Manchester City has gone from occupying intermediate positions in the table to being among the world's elite, winning eight English championships and one Champions League.

"The magnitude of Manchester City's transformation (...) has provided Abu Dhabi with enormous benefits in terms of 'soft power'," Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a researcher at the Baker Institute at Rice University in Texas, explained to AFP.

"'Go to the Etihad' has become a common expression in the world of sport," added this Gulf specialist, referring to City's stadium, which is named after the Abu Dhabi airline, Etihad Airways.

"A decade of desecration"

The verdict released Tuesday night tarnishes this success.

According to the independent commission appointed by the Premier League, City resorted, between 2009 and 2018, to tricks to artificially inflate its income and minimize its costs, in order to apparently comply with the championship's financial rules.

"Apparently, one of the United Kingdom's closest and oldest allies in the Middle East would have spent more than a decade systematically desecrating one of the most valuable elements of British culture," David Wearing, professor of international relations at the University of Sussex, summarized to AFP in reference to football.

The club, which is challenging the verdict, has until Friday to file an appeal.

A sanction has not yet been handed down, which could range from a fine to points deduction, or even exclusion from the league.

But the case also directly affects the image of Abu Dhabi: in addition to its owner, Sheikh Mansour, City is chaired by Khaldoon Khalifa al Mubarak, an important figure in the Emirati establishment.

"Given that the club is represented by two of Abu Dhabi's highest officials, it is likely that the UAE leadership will take this decision very personally," said Coates Ulrichsen.

"The challenge for the British government... will be to ensure that the ruling is treated as a regulatory issue and not a political issue," he added.

In an interview with Times Radio, David Bernstein, former president of Manchester City and the English Football Federation, fears "a risk of political interference."

He mentioned the possibility of Manchester City being seen as "too big to fail" or of national interests coming into play.

The government did not respond to AFP requests.

"Reputation"

Etihad Airways, City's main sponsor since 2009, announced in a statement that it is analyzing legal appeals against the Premier League, which the company accuses of having damaged its reputation without having consulted it within the framework of the procedure.

Abu Dhabi could also express its discontent or, more hypothetically, use its investment decisions as leverage, according to Wearing.

But the relationship of forces remains, in his opinion, asymmetrical: the Emirates, "a relatively small country in a very unstable region", needs solid relations with London.

As the UK's 20th trading partner, it accounts for just 1.3% of its trade, according to official data, despite Emirati investments and projects in energy, infrastructure and technology.

"The case can generate sensitivities in terms of reputation," said Salma Thani, a specialist in Gulf studies at the American University of Sharjah, interviewed by AFP.

But the relationship between both countries "predates the purchase of Manchester City and has developed in the areas of diplomacy, trade, education and security," he added. "It has a depth that goes beyond sports."

© 2026 AFP

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