Man City
Man City
The biggest scandal in English sporting history has taken another turn and Manchester City's owners are now involved in another investigation.
City were found guilty by an independent commission for serious breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations. The club have maintained their innocence and launched an appeal with a verdict expected to arrive in February.
The case has involved other controversies, including the relationship between the UK government and the club's Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) ownership. In the days that followed the release of the commission's findings, the United Arab Emirates warned that a serious punishment could complicate financial relations between the two countries.
Council Review Previous Agreement With Man City Owners
The Etihad Stadium, the home of Manchester City
Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes
The i Paper now reports that Manchester City Council are conducting an ongoing internal review and reassessment of its 2014 profit-sharing property agreement with the ADUG. This is described as a "controversial property deal" between the two parties and there is concern amid the Premier League cheating scandal.
This agreement came under previous Labour leadership, party leader Sir Richard Leese and chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein. They had been running Manchester for almost two decades and their "complete control" allowed them to make such deals.
The authority receieved "less than £3 million for building almost 1,800 homes under the agreement." The council is unsure whether this fully represents the value that it should have receieved because ADUG booked its profits offshore.
New council leaders, chief executive Tom Stannard and Labour leader Garry Bridges, want assurances over the deal but do not suspect past illegal activity. But the assumption is that such agreements wouldn't be made today and they are looking to distance the council from ADUG.
Key Events Timeline
September 2026 — The Athletic reported City guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges.
October 2026 — City lodged their appeal, calling the commission's opinion unsafe and materially flawed.
October 2026 — Reports revealed Khaldoon Al Mubarak met a UK minister weeks before the verdict.
Andy Burnham Meetings With Man City Leader
Andy Burnham glancing to his left
Action images via Reuters/ John Clifton
This development once again raises question marks over UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's response to the commission's guilty verdicts and his relationship with the club's owners. He initially said he'd be disappointed if the ADUG were to leave English football:
"I would be really concerned to lose them. They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester and obviously the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is."
Burnham has since insisted that this case needs to take its full course and that he will not get involved. During his role as mayor of Greater Manchester though, it has been revealed that he met with City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while also visiting the club's Etihad stadium at home games as a guest on several occasions.
The Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham after the match
The Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham after the match
City's owners have been in place since September 2008 and during their time running the club it has become one of the most successful football institutions in England. Among the potential punishments if the guilty verdicts are upheld for "sham" commercial contracts, is their removal and the possibility of expulsion from the Premier League.