Earthquake in Manchester! City's Abu Dhabi owners could consider selling the club
The seismic fallout from Manchester City's financial verdict has taken its most dramatic turn yet, with the unthinkable suddenly on the table: the club's Abu Dhabi ownership group contemplating an exit.
Details: According to Topskills Sports UK, Manchester City's owners could consider selling the club, with the guilty verdict reportedly leaving the ownership embarrassed and a potential sale now being discussed as a possibility. The situation could mark a major turning point for the club and its Abu Dhabi ownership.
The speculation is not arriving in a vacuum. An independent commission found City guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules over a nine-season period between 2009/10 and 2017/18, ruling that the club ran a disguised funding scheme that inflated revenues by more than £830 million through sham commercial deals and misstated accounts, and City have since lodged a comprehensive appeal while protesting their innocence. The ruling has already triggered existential questions about the ownership. David Kogan, chair of the new Independent Football Regulator, said the verdict raises serious issues and confirmed the IFR holds statutory powers to assess the suitability of owners and executives, and in the most extreme cases to compel owners to divest. Gary Neville argued it will be difficult for the owners to retain their status and pass the owners' and directors' test if the verdict stands, even suggesting he would prefer a 60-point deduction over a fine because the long-term legitimacy of the club is at stake. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham went further, saying he would be really concerned to lose the owners, whom he credited as a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. The commission will now hold a separate hearing to decide sanctions, which range from heavy fines and points deductions to expulsion, while City continue to fight on every front and even sponsor Etihad has hired heavyweight law firm Quinn Emanuel to explore action against the Premier League. On the pitch, remarkably, the machine keeps rolling: City have won all five league matches this season and next face Liverpool on October 11.
It's worth noting that Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group bought Manchester City in 2008 and oversaw the most trophy-laden era in the club's history: eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and a first Champions League crown. City Football Group has since grown into a global multi-club empire, meaning any sale would be one of the most complex transactions in sporting history.
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Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
