Manchester City’s rise from rags to riches to scandal

Manchester City experienced a meteoric rise from mid-table mediocrity to Premier League domination. In 2011, they won the FA Cup final against Stoke, marking their first major trophy in 35 years. Before the takeover by Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, City had won only nine major trophies in their 128-year history, with only two English league titles to their name.

The club's lowest point came in the late 1990s, when they were relegated twice in three seasons. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan's acquisition of the club led to a significant shift in power locally and nationally. Within a year, City started signing high-profile players such as Robinho and Carlos Tevez. The man who led them to unprecedented success was Pep Guardiola, who joined City in 2016.

Under his leadership, City won six English top-flight titles in seven seasons, including four consecutive titles. In 2023, City finally achieved a unique feat by matching United's achievement of winning the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup in the same season. However, allegations of financial rule breaches have tarnished their golden era.

In 2023, the Premier League launched an investigation into potential breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The allegations claim that City allowed their Abu Dhabi-based sponsors to make backdated cash injections, which allegedly violated UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. City has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to appeal the findings of an independent commission.

The club's manager, Pep Guardiola, has expressed his support for the team, stating that they will fight through this together.