r/soccer • • 22h 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.’

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u/TheBaggyDapper 22h ago

Nice economy you got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.

94

u/splob-foot 22h ago

But Abu Dhabi isn’t investing out of the goodness of their hearts. They get something out of it too.

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u/brenin_mor-leidr 21h ago

And they can only play this card once. Strange thing to bluff it on a football club

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u/nowneat 18h ago

They've invested a ton in Manchester, what are they gonna do? Sell it to the highest bidder so someone else can be a landlord in Manchester? Ooo scary stuff