London (AFP) - Manchester City's conviction for violations of the English Football League's financial rules threatens to tarnish the reputation of one of the UAE's most successful models of "soft power" and puts the close relationship between London and Abu Dhabi to a severe test.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 14:00

The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that the club, which has been owned by the Emirates since 2008, was found guilty of committing serious violations of financial rules over a period of nine seasons between 2009 and 2018. This was done by concluding fictitious contracts with a number of commercial partners with the aim of artificially inflating its revenues, which led to concealing its true financial situation and avoiding violating the spending limits imposed by both the local league and the European Football Association (UEFA).

In response to a question from the BBC, British Prime Minister Andy Burnum, a former mayor of Manchester, said, “I have to keep my distance (from this file). It would be a mistake to act differently.”

But he added, "I would be very worried if we lost them," referring to the investments of the Abu Dhabi United Group, which owns the club, in Manchester, northern England.

Since its acquisition by UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Manchester City has transformed from a modest local team into one of the elite clubs in the world, winning a series of titles, most notably the English Premier League eight times and the European Champions League once.

This transformation was directly reflected in the image of the Emirates, according to Christian Coates Ulrichsen, a researcher at the Baker Institute at Rice University in the US state of Texas.

The researcher in Gulf affairs explained to Agence France-Presse, “The scale of the transformation witnessed by Manchester City (...) gave Abu Dhabi huge gains in terms of soft power.”

He added, referring to Manchester City Stadium, “The expression ‘going to Al-Ittihad’ has become a common phrase in the world of sports,” referring to the club’s stadium, which bears the name of the Emirati company, Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi.

"Desecration" of football

Manchester City denied the accusations and intends to appeal. Its president, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, affirmed his confidence in “proving the club’s innocence.”

However, the case casts a shadow over the successes he has achieved in recent years. The League has not yet determined the penalties against him, which may range from a fine and deducting points from his score, up to his exclusion from the tournament.

“One of the UK’s closest and oldest allies in the Middle East has spent more than a decade systematically desecrating one of the most valuable elements of British culture,” said David Wearing, professor of international relations at the University of Sussex, referring to football.

What increases the complexity of the issue and takes it to dimensions outside the sporting sphere is the position of the club’s supervisors and their role in the Emirates: Sheikh Mansour is Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, the son of the founder of the state, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, and the younger brother of President Mohammed bin Zayed.

As for businessman Khaldoun Al-Mubarak, he has been the Managing Director and CEO of the Mubadala Investment Group since 2002. He has an active presence in the fields of energy, economics, politics and technology, in the United Arab Emirates and abroad.

Ulrichsen believes that the club is represented by "two of the highest-ranking officials in Abu Dhabi, and the leaders of the United Arab Emirates are likely to treat this decision as a very personal matter."

He adds, "The challenge facing the British government (...) is to ensure that governance is dealt with as a regulatory issue, not a political issue."

This raises fears in England of “political interference,” according to David Bernstein, former president of Manchester City and the English Football Association, in radio statements.

Bernstein expressed his fear that City would be seen as "too big to fail", or that sporting considerations and national interests would interfere in the case.

In light of this, a Prime Minister's spokesman stressed that City is "not above the rules", following criticism directed at Burnam over his comments on the case.

“As the Prime Minister has made clear, the initial ruling is serious, and there can be no suggestion that anyone is above the rules,” he said in a statement.

Threatening countermeasures

In what may cause additional complications, Etihad Airways, the club's main sponsor and most prominent partner since 2009, directed strong criticism at the English Premier League, confirming that it is studying legal means of appeal.

A spokesman said it "categorically rejects any allegation, inference or suggestion that the airline has ever engaged in improper commercial arrangements" and will seek "appropriate legal advice on its options and recourses to protect its interests".

Waring did not rule out that Abu Dhabi would resort to using its investments as a pressure card in this case, although he considered this scenario unlikely. Despite this, he stresses that Abu Dhabi needs to maintain its close relationship with London, especially in light of the turbulent conditions in the Middle East.

According to official data, the UAE is the United Kingdom's twentieth trading partner, and accounts for only 1.3 percent of the volume of British trade exchange, despite the UAE's investments and projects in the fields of energy, infrastructure, and technology.

Salma Thani, a specialist in Gulf studies at the American University of Sharjah, believes that the current issue “may cause sensitivities” at the reputational level.

She confirms to Agence France-Presse that the relationship between the two countries “goes back long before the purchase of Manchester City, and has developed in the fields of diplomacy, trade, education and security,” and is therefore “deep in a way that goes beyond sports.”

© 2026 AFP

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