Manchester City's owners could attempt to sell the club in the wake of their guilty verdict, according to an expert on the United Arab Emirates. The club was found guilty of breaking the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-year period, with an independent commission ruling against them on 114 of the 115 charges they faced.
The commission found that City had used "sham" contracts to disguise funding of more than £830million. City have consistently maintained their innocence and have launched an appeal, but the ownership has been thrust under the spotlight, with the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) warning they have the power to strip them of the club.
Ownership under scrutiny
City are owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the deputy prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates. While City are not directly owned by the UAE, Sheikh Mansour and club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak are inextricably linked to the Middle Eastern country and its capital, Abu Dhabi.
Christopher M Davidson, author of Abu Dhabi: Oil & Beyond, believes Sheikh Mansour will sell the club he has owned since 2008 if City's appeal does not clear their name. "Once there's some time to digest this, my feeling would be that they would extricate themselves," he told The Athletic. "I think primarily it would be seen from a political and cultural aspect."
"The ruling family of Abu Dhabi would feel that they had been embarrassed and disgraced by this ruling, and the best way of moving forward would be to sell now to cut the losses, as it were, rather than allow this to be a festering, lingering problem where the ownership of their club would be forever tainted in England. I can't see any scenario where they would continue."
No intention to sell, says chairman
Speaking to the club website in June, Al Mubarak said there was "no intention to sell" City. He added: "Manchester City and this group within the football world is a pinnacle and these sorts of jewels you don't sell."
It is possible that Sheikh Mansour could be pushed before he jumps, with the IFR releasing a statement last week explaining their powers. "The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals," they said.
Political concerns raised
The possibility of City's owners cutting their losses has also been raised by prime minister Andy Burnham, who dealt with them during his time as Mayor of Manchester. He told the BBC: "I would be really concerned to lose them. They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is."
"I can't intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that. It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all of the detail, but obviously it's ongoing, and because it's still contested by Manchester City, then I think it's right that I don't say much more."
The independent commission has the power to hit City with a huge points deduction, an unlimited fine and a lengthy transfer ban.
