For some time now there seems to have been two layers of concern operating simultaneously.
The first is the fact that Sheikh Mansour / Abu Dhabi United Group own City. The second is the cheating scandal.
The government, premier league, media, and football supporters generally (particularly City fans) overlooked the first point far too readily. Even if you leave aside the stuff in the Sudan, or don't care about human rights, or think somehow the Sheikh has a different hat on when owning City to the one he wears as unchallengeable absolute ruler at home, you still have to ask why he's here. What's in it for him? What does he want?
Perhaps it's simply a matter of investing in an asset so that it grows in value. I'm sure City was worth a lot more up until last month than when they bought it. I'm sure Wrexham is worth more than when the film stars bought it. The American owners of Birmingham City are investigating hugely, and I doubt it's charitable.
Still, though, has the UAE really improved the value of the club by the same sum that they've sunk into it, even before the cheating is factored in? Is that even possible? As I understand it we are talking about a few billion when you consider the facilities and urban regeneration projects. Surely they can't get that back if they sell the club? Who could they even sell it to?
So, if not a pure financial investment then what do they want? Well, how about the kind of clout that sees the current prime minister, no less, instinctively go into bat for you when you get banged to rights for long term systemic cheating, complete abuse of power and wealth to frustrate the legal process, and show a despicable brass neck about it? Yeah, maybe that.
What seems to be happening is that the shameful and sustained overlooking of the UAE ownership of City, undertaken in the hope that the sportswash will work, that football can keep the masses willfully ignorant (it very much can) is now being brought back into the spotlight precisely because they've cheated at the sport, the only bit the masses care about.
The thing that should have been top of the agenda all along but which football tried to bury is now rising to the surface precisely because of football, and whether football likes it or not.
England
