115 Charges: UAE officials warn UK government over severely punishing Man City

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has threatened to withdraw billions of pounds in investment from the United Kingdom (UK) if Manchester City faces severe punishment following the verdict on its 115 charges.

According to British media outlet The Telegraph, UAE officials issued the warning to UK Prime Minister Burnham following the announcement of the guilty verdict.

There are reports that the club could face severe punishment for the alleged breaches of financial rules, including massive points deductions, expulsion from the Premier League, the stripping of titles, and possible demotion to a lower division.

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Following the announcement of the verdict, the UK Prime Minister expressed concern that the UAE owners of Manchester City could decide to sell the club, a comment that generated backlash before Downing Street later issued a clarification.

The Telegraph reported that the UAE is threatening to pull the plug on billions of pounds in private investment that the government was seeking for a hi-tech hub between Oxford and Cambridge, which has been billed as the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley.

It has emerged that Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the football club’s chairman, met Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, in Downing Street a fortnight before the Premier League announced that it had found City guilty of breaching its rules. It was claimed that the charges were not discussed, as details of the case were not revealed.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have officially appealed the Premier League’s verdict, while the appeal process is yet to commence as the punishment has not been decided.

There are concerns that the alleged political interference could undermine the severity of the punishment that will be meted out to the Citizens, as calls grow for the club to be severely punished to serve as a deterrent.

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Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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