![]() Of course, none of this is the fault of Pep Guardiola, winning goalscorer Rodri, man-of-the-match John Stones, German international Ilkay Gündogan or Norwegian striking sensation Erling Haaland. It has already been fined twice by UEFA, once for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations and a second time for obstructing an investigation – the latter after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that a number of allegations of artificially inflating sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi-based companies had taken place too long ago to full under its jurisdiction. It has been charged by the Premier League of 115 counts of financial irregularities between 20. Manchester City also stands accused of breaking rules in order to achieve those goals. Pep Guardiola has won the Treble for the second time - with substantial financial backing Image: Francisco Seco/AP Photo/picture alliance Allegations of financial irregularities ![]() Those playing it, coaching it, watching it, reporting on it and celebrating it are ultimately being instrumentalized for ulterior motives, whether they like it or not. Just as with Qatar's ownership of Paris Saint-Germain, its hosting of the 2022 World Cup and its ongoing pursuit of Manchester United, and just as with Saudi Arabia's purchase of Newcastle United and effective takeover of professional golf, the ultimate purpose isn't to promote and support elite sport itself that's just a means to an end. This phenomenon is often referred to as sportswashing. The purpose of this has been threefold: to diversify its oil-dependent economy, bolster its geopolitical standing in a volatile region surrounded by powerful neighbors, and associate it in the global consciousness with glamor and success rather than being an autocratic monarchy presiding over well-documented human rights abuses. Leaked internal documents suggest otherwise, as did the presence of Sheikh Mansour's older brother, UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, next to him in the VIP box on Saturday.įifteen years and billions of dollars on from their 2008 takeover, Sheikh Mansour and Abu Dhabi have achieved through Manchester City what they set out to do: establish the tiny emirate on the Persian Gulf as a major player in international sports. Officially, ADUG insists it is a privately owned investment vehicle which has no links to the government of Abu Dhabi. It handed over control of the club in 2014 to the newly-created City Football Group (CFG), in which it retains an 81% stake. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), which took over Manchester City in 2008. However, it was the presence of two men in particular at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, one sporting a blue and white scarf around his neck as he attended only his second ever City game, which told the real story of where professional football finds itself in 2023. ![]() They are entitled to celebrate the achievement just as much as those directly responsible for realizing it on the pitch: one of the most gifted sets of players to have ever played the game , coached by the mercurial Pep Guardiola who, by winning his third Champions League 12 years after his second, becomes the first coach to win the treble with two different clubs. While some will have been more recent converts, others will have followed the club from its flort with bankruptcy in the English third division in 1999 all the way to the pinnacle of European football on the banks of the Bosporus. Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi attended only his second ever game Image: Mark Pain/empics/picture allianceįrom the Mancuanian heatlands of Cheadle, Oldham, Gorton and Newton Heath, from Turkey itself and even as far as Australia, Manchester City supporters traveled to Istanbul from across Manchester and indeed across the world to see their team win the Champions League and complete a historic treble. ![]()
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