How could Manchester City verdict impact UK trade relationship with UAE?
The pending outcome of the case involving 115 charges lodged against Manchester City could define the recent past of the Premier League and shape its coming decades.
Last week it was revealed that the club could be on the hook for 114 of those 115 accusations, prompting questions surrounding the governance of Manchester City and its Emirati ownership, and whether the UK can uphold a pretty solid relationship.
The club, who have won six of the last nine Premier League titles, is effectively owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan through his Abu Dhabi United Group investment fund, which in turn owns City Football Group.
Sheikh Mansour is the vice president of the United Arab Emirates and will undoubtedly have a say in the nation’s foreign policy, with the Middle Eastern state part of the Gulf Cooperation Council and currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the UK.
Manchester City impact on trade
“The inconvenient truth of this protracted matter is the power asymmetry between the UK and the United Arab Emirates,” sport professor Simon Chadwick tells City AM. “The Gulf state is the UK’s biggest trading partner in the Middle East, a relationship that helps to sustain tens of thousands of British businesses.
“Moreover, UAE investment in the UK may amount to as much as £30bn, whilst the respective governments are engaged in dialogue to reduce tariffs and ease cross-border business mobility. Post-Brexit, the latter is especially important.”
It will be a difficult tightrope for Andy Burnham to cross, with the former Mayor of Manchester seeing major investment from Abu Dhabi as part of the northern city’s regeneration. The huge football fan – albeit of Everton – will likely want to see the values of the game upheld with a huge punishment for Manchester City, but it could damage the nation’s trading relationship.
And it comes off the back of a recent decision by the previous Labour government to block a UAE-backed takeover attempt of the Telegraph with RedBird.
“The case has the potential to profoundly affect UK-UAE relations,” Fair Square’s Nick McGeehan says. “The men behind Manchester City are among the most senior policymakers in the UAE and they have access to the most senior levels of the UK government and we know they are not afraid to be aggressive in their diplomacy.
“It is inconceivable they won’t be trying to secure the UK govt’s assistance in ensuring the PL is as lenient as possible. And again this highlights why states should not be allowed to own and run football clubs.”
Sport and politics
Of course it is not just Manchester City; Newcastle United’s owner the Public Investment Fund is itself run by members of the Saudi Arabian government. But with £10bn of Emirati sovereign wealth promised to the UK and crucial oil and metal imports more important than ever, the UAE could yet be about to flex its muscles.
Adds AfroEurasian sport expert Chadwick: “Andy Burnham’s rejuvenation of Manchester was also partly driven by inward investment from the UAE. Presumably, Burnham entered office keen to extend and strengthen his existing relations with the country.
“Amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Gulf, it is also worth noting that the UAE has been the third-largest recipient of UK arms export licenses globally since 2024. British military deals there have been worth almost £1bn in recent years.
“Fans and the media may see rule infringements as being simply a matter of football, but the City case is a deeply complex and sensitive one that extends way beyond kicking a ball.”