Khaldoon al-Mubarak’s tightrope: City charges could end in a sale

Manchester City and chair Khaldoon al-Mubarak are in a delicate spot after UEFA charges, with the club still fighting its case. Manchester City’s lawyer Simon Cliff says al-Mubarak drove the aggressive, confrontational approach, including during the club’s first European charge back in 2014.

The fight that set the tone

Cliff, citing leaked documents first published by Der Spiegel, reports that al-Mubarak said he’d rather spend £30m on the 50 best lawyers and sue UEFA for ten years than accept a financial penalty. That time, City and Paris Saint-Germain backed down: they agreed to a small fine and minor transfer restrictions with UEFA.

The sale scenario if the appeal fails

The present tension hinges on the appeal against an independent commission’s finding of multiple financial-rule breaches. If City lose that appeal, the chair could be instructed to oversee the sale of the club, The Guardian reports.

Davidson, author of Abu Dhabi, Oil and Beyond, argues the royal family would likely treat an adverse outcome as an embarrassment and could aim for a “quiet retreat” rather than keep investing to rebuild reputation. Al-Mubarak himself said in June that “these sorts of jewels, you don’t sell” and claimed the intention was to keep growing.