The key facts

  • The Premier League found Manchester City guilty on 114 financial charges; the club has appealed and sanctions have not been determined
  • Fans at the Etihad unanimously back the Abu Dhabi owners led by Sheikh Mansour
  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed two additional dinners with club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak; the issue has become a serious domestic political problem

A return amid scandal

Manchester City returned home for the first time after being found guilty on 114 financial charges by the Premier League — a case that has drawn worldwide attention. On Wednesday the club lost 2:4 to the reigning trophy holder, Qatar's Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League group stage, but, according to the DW correspondent, showed character on the pitch. Among the home fans at the Etihad, DW recorded unanimous support for the Abu Dhabi owners led by Sheikh Mansour, who is also Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE. 'I am fully behind the owners,' said local fan Matt. 'If we end up in League Two [the fourth division], well, so be it. We have 15 years of memories that otherwise would not have existed, and for me that is just a line in a spreadsheet.' Another fan, Josh, added that the club has given many people unforgettable moments and changed lives, including his own.

Tainted trophies and criticism

The stadium's name itself is a reminder of the 2008 takeover that transformed the team and this part of Manchester: the inflated sponsorship contract with the UAE national airline Etihad is one of the key points of the charges, and the brand adorns many buildings around the stadium. Outside the club, most people now consider the trophies won during the relevant period tainted. Critics also point to the club's reticence in providing evidence, documented human rights violations in the UAE, and the dismissive tone of the owners after the guilty verdict on charges the club has appealed.

Burnham's political ties

The fans appear to have an influential ally — UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer in July. The former Mayor of Greater Manchester said after the verdict was announced at the end of September that he would be 'very concerned about their loss,' adding that the owners 'have been a huge partner in building modern Manchester.' He later softened his position and denied being close to the club's owners. Nevertheless, as The Guardian reported, while the team played on Wednesday, a club representative was invited to join a government-backed trade delegation to India by Burnham's successor as Mayor of Manchester, Bev Craig. Earlier the same day, Burnham was forced to confirm two additional dinners with club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the Etihad, which he had previously declared only as matchday hospitality. The issue has become a serious domestic political problem for the prime minister.

UAE investment in east Manchester

Burnham welcomed Abu Dhabi's investment during his leadership of the city — mainly residential and commercial buildings, libraries and sports centres in previously neglected areas around the stadium. Georgina Blakeley, a professor at the University of Huddersfield who wrote the book 'Regenerating East Manchester,' told DW that the UAE investment has transformed significant parts of the city. 'One of the main incentives for the partnership with Abu Dhabi United Group [a private investment arm of the state, linked mainly to the football club] was that at that time, in 2014, no other private investor was willing to invest at the scale desired by the council and to create a rental housing market,' she noted. The investment, accelerated by the Manchester Life partnership signed with the city council in 2014, remains a key argument in the owners' defence against accusations of sportswashing. Blakeley acknowledges criticism of the gentrification of the Ancoats and New Islington neighbourhoods and tensions between new and long-standing residents, but adds that in the 1990s Ancoats was 'an area you wouldn't want to venture into,' and this is quickly forgotten.

An uncertain future and the contrast with PSG

After 18 years at the club and in the city, the UAE is deeply rooted in this part of Manchester. According to reports, political ties between the UK and the UAE are strained over the charges, and there are suggestions that the owners may attempt to sell the club; they could also be forced to do so by sanctions, which are yet to be determined following the appeal. Paris Saint-Germain, with its own Gulf money, has no such problems — the team looks capable of winning a third consecutive Champions League trophy. DW concludes that state-backed clubs can achieve success quickly on the open market, and that the combination of deep finances, connections at the top levels of sport and strategies of integration with the local community has proved 'intoxicating' for City fans, who reject talk of secret second contracts, fictitious sponsorship and unreliable witnesses. Judging by the mood in Manchester on Wednesday, no sanctions will change that.