MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Emirati money has turned Manchester City into one of the most dominant teams in world football. This transformation took nearly two decades. Now, the club faces substantial sanctions and possibly automatic relegation from the Premier League.
In February 2023, the league brought 115 charges against City. The charges relate to breaching financial rules and failing to cooperate with investigations.
On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed reports that the club had been found guilty. The league said City created sham contracts and disguised secret funding. The rules were broken for nearly a decade.
Potential sanctions could include substantial fines and the stripping of titles. Outright expulsion from the Premier League is also possible. City deny the charges and will appeal the verdict. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he was still confident of proving the club’s innocence.
Here is what you need to know about the two most prominent Emiratis behind the club.
Sheikh Mansour
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan is vice-president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. He also chairs the Presidential Court of the UAE. He owns the Abu Dhabi United Group, which bought Manchester City in 2008.
Born in 1970, he is the younger brother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed. He is one of the richest men in the Middle East. He chairs the board of Mubadala, a state-backed fund worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Its CEO is Khaldoon al-Mubarak, who is also the chair of Manchester City.
Sheikh Mansour’s wealth and political power span state companies worth hundreds of billions of dollars. These companies do substantial business in Britain. This raises the stakes in the potential diplomatic and economic cost of City’s legal troubles.
His actions beyond football have also been shrouded in controversy. He is a majority owner of Redbird IMI, which agreed to buy the Telegraph. The deal was blocked. The British government has since passed laws limiting foreign state ownership of newspapers to 15 percent.
Sheikh Mansour owns Abu Dhabi-based IMI, which runs Sky News Arabia. Earlier this year, UK-based Sky News announced it would relinquish ownership of its Arabic-language sister channel. This followed controversy over its Sudan coverage.
Meanwhile, a New York Times investigation said Sheikh Mansour “played a central role” in the UAE’s alleged arming of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. Experts, including from the UN, have accused the UAE of backing the RSF and fuelling Sudan’s war. Abu Dhabi strongly denies this.
In Manchester, Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group has become deeply woven into the city. It has invested vast sums in redeveloping the rundown east of the city. However, a University of Sheffield study in 2022 and reporting from The Sunday Times suggested the group benefited from sweetheart deals.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak
As club chairman, Mubarak is the most visible face of the ownership at Manchester City. He is seen frequently at the club’s matches. He also chairs City Football Group, which runs a dozen other Emirati-owned or partially owned clubs. These include Girona in Spain and MLS team New York City.
He has overseen City’s transformation on the pitch, where the club has spent billions to construct a world-beating team. He has also overseen its commercial growth, with revenues soaring under Emirati ownership.
The 51-year-old is a prominent figure outside football. He has served as managing director and group chief executive for the Mubadala Investment Company since 2002. The state-owned fund manages $385 billion in assets across more than 80 countries. He also sits on the board of ADNOC, the UAE’s state oil company.
Beyond that, Mubarak holds several senior positions in the Abu Dhabi government. He sits on the emirate’s executive council. This makes him one of the most powerful non-royals in the country.
His work with Manchester City has reportedly allowed him to build close ties with British politicians. According to the Financial Times, Mubarak has good personal relations with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The report said he was also on good terms with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
