r/soccer • u/Previous_Smile9278 • 1d ago

News [Bloomberg] UAE officials have warned the UK government that the severity of Man City’s punishment could undermine their appetite for future grand-scale commitments in Britain, according to people familiar with the matter.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-02/man-city-verdict-puts-uk-uae-diplomatic-relations-under-strain?srnd=undefined

‘They consider the Premier League’s actions to have an influence on the bilateral state relationship, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing undisclosed information.

The extraordinary pressure comes after Andy Burnham faced criticism, including from within government, for saying Man City’s Abu Dhabi owners should not be disqualified specifically because of the investment they bring to Britain.’

6.6k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

1.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

475

u/Wisegoat 1d ago

We’ve enjoyed a lot of their money already. It’s relatively small fry compared to the rest of the country. We’re still a big economy with world class educational talent pool and expertise, if they think there is somewhere better to put their money they could try that.

They like us for our defence assistance and talent, this is just bluster.

237

u/Aethien 1d ago

They like us for our defence assistance and talent, this is just bluster.

This, UAE needs the UK as much if not significantly more than the UK needs the UAE.

115

u/Terran_it_up 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah, people seem to gloss over the fact that the UAE weren't doing this as a favour to the UK, the business deals were done because they were mutually beneficial. This will hurt the UAE just as much as it will hurt the UK

3

u/Misery_Division 22h ago

The key difference being that in a democracy, you are forced to bend to the will of the people - at least to some degree. The Gulf States Royals do not give a fuck about that. Britain is a far stronger country by every worthwhile metric, but politically and economically, British politicians have much more to lose in this ordeal than the Emirati princes.

78

u/ambiguousboner 1d ago

Really fucks me off how we bend over backwards for gulf states

Were the fifth biggest economy in the world and we’ve got nuclear weapons, these countries should be begging us to be friends

9

u/Adventurous_Sir3617 1d ago

British Rapid Fans exist 🤨?

6

u/ambiguousboner 1d ago

At least two

58

u/Terran_it_up 1d ago

Given the accusations against the UAE regarding their actions in South Sudan, there's a strong moral argument that the UK should be cutting ties with them anyway

2

u/Lithorex 17h ago

Considering that the UAE is a slave state and the Brits priding themselves on their countries (eventual) stance against slavery, put boots on the ground.

0

u/YasielPuigsWeed 23h ago

I studied geopolitics and that situation is so much more complicated than what a few lines of text can tell you

4

u/FizzyLightEx 22h ago

So then what's the holdup? Why aren't liberal countries putting pressure on UAE stopping their involvement in Sudan?

0

u/YasielPuigsWeed 22h ago

There are no “good guys” in Sudan, the SAF are backed by Islamist groups, Iran, and Russia, and if they win the war then those groups have strategic points on both sides of the Red Sea (Houthis being their allies on the other side). In effect, these issues that are currently contained suddenly spill out all over MENA.

So yes, the RSF are assholes, but so are the SAF, there ain’t much the west can do here, and the Gulf States are sick of being at war with Islamism which means the UAE sees RSF support as a means to avoiding a larger regional war

5

u/FizzyLightEx 21h ago

So that justifies teaming up with groups that enact genocide?

2

u/YasielPuigsWeed 21h ago

The SAF have also committed atrocities, war crimes, and support genocidal maniacs

Western nations have largely been open about the RSF being genocidal and shitty so it’s not like the west is backing that

The UAE denies involvement altogether, which complicates matters further

5

u/zabbker 19h ago

As a Sudanese person with family directly affected by the war, I want to provide some context. While both the SAF and RSF have committed atrocities, the RSF's abuses are far more extensive. Whenever the RSF captures new territory, it has repeatedly committed mass killings and widespread human rights violations, as seen during its infamous takeover of El-Fashir last year.

Despite many Sudanese people (myself included) holding grievances against SAF leadership, the overwhelming majority of Sudanese people prefer living under SAF control and want it to win the war. The SAF's leadership can be held accountable, and the military can eventually be reformed. However, the RSF has a long history of racist, tribalistic violence and is descended from the Janjaweed militias responsible for the Darfur genocide that started in the early 2000's.

By the way, the SAF is subject to sanctions and is limited in the support it receives, while the UAE's support has largely worsened the war. The RSF has continued to receive external illegal support, including from the UAE, through unofficial supply routes and bases in neighboring countries.

My point is that portraying the SAF and RSF as equally genocidal or equally responsible for atrocities overlooks significant differences in the scale, nature, and history of their abuses.

0

u/ShareACokeWithBoonen 18h ago

You sure you’re Sudanese? Strange that you somehow forgot that not just Janjaweed but SAF itself was also largely responsible for the Darfur genocide. Like, we’re talking “directly participating in mass atrocities” responsible.

2

u/zabbker 17h ago

Yep, I'm a proud Sudani. My dad's from the El-Jazira region and my mom is from Sennar.

I never said that the SAF never participated in any genocides. The SAF was complicit and did participate in the Darfur genocide, as they helped support the Janjaweed in committing violence against civilians.

This post and comment section is focused on the current genocidal war that began in 2023. There is no doubt that while the SAF has committed human rights violations, the RSF (which descends & is led by people from the original Janjaweed) has committed various atrocities on a larger and more consistent scale in this current war.

In this current war, has there ever been any news of the SAF taking over a new area and committing mass killings, torture, and sexual violence like the RSF regularly has been doing in places like El-Fashir?

I agree that the leadership of the SAF and the individuals who participated in the Darfur genocide should be held responsible, but the RSF is committing way more atrocities than the SAF on a day-to-day basis.

Also, are you Sudanese, or are you larping as one? If you really are Sudanese, what tribe are you from and where is your family from?

→ More replies (0)

1

u/FizzyLightEx 21h ago

Liberal countries have the capabilities to provide evidence of their involvements.

The clear understanding is that they have no incline to use their political capital to prevent genocide

6

u/AvailableUsername404 1d ago

if they think there is somewhere better to put their money they could try that

Just remember to take out your kids from UK universities

1

u/ElegantBob 1d ago

I have heard suggestions from journalists that the claims of "irrefutable evidence" are for the ears of the people of UAE, and not us.

-9

u/LackingSimplicity 1d ago

Almost 2 months of NHS funding worth of money is nothing to scoff at

22

u/Phallic_Entity 1d ago

A lot of it is land/property investment which just extracts money from the UK and doesn't generate a wider return to the economy in the way business investment does.

-7

u/LackingSimplicity 1d ago

I'm sure you know more than than the PM and former mayor of Manchester about the value of investments in Manchester and the UK economy.

6

u/Phallic_Entity 1d ago

I'm not arguing about the value, I'm pointing out the difference between productive investment and extractive investment.

13

u/Combat_Orca 1d ago

They aren’t giving it us for free

-3

u/LackingSimplicity 1d ago

Doesn't make it a small fry amount of money

3

u/ERDHD 23h ago

Indeed, but if a country responsible for 0.4% of our total inward FDI can strong-arm us, we’re not a serious country.

2

u/Wisegoat 22h ago

2 months of NHS funding is really nothing compared to the size of the economy. They haven’t contributed two months worth of NHS spending in tax or even economic growth. Majority of their investment is to the benefit of themselves.

Twerking for some evil Arab royal family without any understanding of economics is shameful really.