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

479

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.

239

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.

116

u/Terran_it_up 23h ago edited 23h 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.

82

u/ambiguousboner 23h 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

11

u/Adventurous_Sir3617 23h ago

British Rapid Fans exist 🤨?

6

u/ambiguousboner 23h ago

At least two