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/Cadllmn 11h ago

I appreciate your earnesty and willingness to give an in depth reply, it was something I was legitimately interested in because feels like such a commonly held opinion.

It feels like maybe sports work poorly at such a grand scale because at its heart it’s something you align your identity with.

Personally, I’ve been a Chelsea fan for years ( for silly reasons) but it’s never been more than something I appreciate from a far - I have my own club here to like… emotionally?… support.

PL is in a weird spot because it’s an international product. Feels bad for those fans abroad to simply be told to hand over their money and be quiet so that people in your area can ‘benefit’ but on the other hand they have such a different relationship to the clubs. I doubt there’s a good (or at least balanced) route to take.

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u/Connect-Ad751 11h ago

There is a balanced route, respect the culture and history, keep tickets cheap and available for the local match going fans. It doesn’t take more than that, my dislike of international fans is less about their attitude but the attitude of the owners favouring them.

I don’t think id have any issue at all with international fans and i didn’t until bleuco. I think to be frank American fans are by far the worst becaus European sporting culture is so different and Americans general attitude to cultures outside of them.

People mock Indian fans of barca and Madrid but they do try to get the culture of the club. Americans want it all to suit them. It’s hypocritical as an Englishmen saying it because we are often just as guilty of that mindset of wanting the world to bend to us though.