Who are the Emiratis behind crisis-hit Manchester City?

Manchester City, a football club, faces substantial sanctions and potentially automatic relegation from the Premier League. The Premier League brought 115 charges against the club in February 2023 for breaching financial rules and failing to cooperate with investigations. According to the Premier League, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and most charges related to lack of cooperation with the investigation.

The club has vowed to appeal against the Premier League's verdict, stating they are "disappointed and surprised" by the commission's findings and claim to have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" supporting their positions. Manchester City has until Friday to appeal the findings. The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted.

The club's financial troubles stem from a nine-year period of alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, from 2009 to 2018. Manchester City's owners are from the United Arab Emirates, and their investment has transformed the club from a mediocre team to one of the most dominant in world football over nearly two decades.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Punch Nigeria, Punch, IOL, The National UAE — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.