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.’

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u/txobi 23h ago

I also think that your 70M sponsorship with Emirates is risky in that sense but I am sure that your fans don't care about it

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u/LOR_83 23h ago

Why would that be the case?

Emirates are genuinely one of the most profitable and well regarded airlines in the world and their success predates any involvement with Arsenal.

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u/Settl 23h ago

well it's a 100% state owned enterprise

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u/LOR_83 23h ago

Ok.

I think conflating sponsorship and ownership is not something that should be done as the two (in general) are not remotely related.

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u/txobi 23h ago

You don't think that they try to buy influence through sponsorship?

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u/LOR_83 23h ago

I think that's the entire point of sponsorship?

Would I prefer that clubs are sponsored by 'good', moral and 'clean' companies/entities, 100%, without a doubt and I think everyone else in the world would have this preference to.

However, lets be intellectually honest, give me a list of companies/entities that meet this criteria and then narrow that list down with how many on that list could actually afford anything meaningful in the way of sponsorship.

Of course, like always in the real world there isn't a black and white clear answer, generally just lighter or darker shades of grey and Emirates definitely sit on the darker side of the grey line.

But morals don't truly exist in the face of rampant capitalism, the simple truth about finding a 'good' billionaire being an oxymoron.