Business
• Analysis
UAE May Halt UK Investments After Manchester City Guilty Verdict
The United Arab Emirates has warned the UK government that it may halt UK investments after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, according to reports. Emirati officials reportedly said the Premier League's conduct would affect relations between the two states, and a multi-billion-pound Silicon Valley-style Oxbridge technology hub investment is now under threat.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 3, 2026
• 2 Min Read
The United Arab Emirates has warned the UK government that it may halt UK investments after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, according to reports. Emirati officials reportedly said the Premier League's conduct would affect relations between the two states, and a multi-billion-pound Silicon Valley-style Oxbridge technology hub investment is now under threat.
What the UAE has warned
The United Arab Emirates has reportedly told the UK government that major investments in Britain could be cancelled following the guilty verdict against Manchester City. According to Bloomberg, Emirati officials said the Premier League's conduct would influence the relationship between the two states.
The Telegraph separately reported a threat to withdraw a multi-billion-pound investment intended for a Silicon Valley-style Oxbridge technology hub.
The verdict behind the threat
The warning followed the ruling that prompted it. The Premier League charged Manchester City with 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules covering 2009 to 2018, and an independent commission upheld 114 of the charges in September. The Premier League said the commission found that:
- •the club arranged "sham" commercial deals with a number of its sponsors during the period
- •those deals formed part of a disguised funding scheme, under which the sponsor companies were required to pay only a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees
- •the remainder was funded by the club's owner, Abu Dhabi United Group Investment + Development Ltd (ADUG)
A meeting in Downing Street
Two weeks before the Premier League announced its decision, Manchester City chair Khaldoon Al Mubarak met business secretary Jonathan Reynolds in Downing Street, according to the Telegraph.
Where things stand
Manchester City has lodged an appeal against the ruling. In a short statement issued alongside it, the club said the commission's decision contained:
"clear material errors of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe"
On Thursday evening the club repeated its insistence on innocence, saying it had filed a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence backing all of its positions.
