2 hours agoBritish government could force City owner to sell the club
Periskopi(24 days ago)
(24 days ago)The British government has been urged to consider imposing sanctions on Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, amid the Sudan conflict.
The Premierliga club continues to be under investigation for over 115 alleged counts of violations of the fair financial rules, while City has insisted it is not guilty of either.
Mansour has transformed the English club since the completion of his purchase in 2008, winning eight titles of Premierliga, a trophy of the Champions League, three FA Cup and seven League Cups.
Taking over the club from the United Arab Emirates has also brought great regeneration to the Eastlands area, including the redeveloping of the “Etihad” stadium.
“Areena Co-Op Live” in Manchester is also located near the National Cycling and Velodro Centre, as well as the National Square Centre.
The conflict in Sudan has claimed at least 150,000 lives according to various humanitarian agencies and the US government.
The British government is facing mounting pressure from Human Rights Organisation FairSquare to investigate Mansour's alleged role in supporting the United Arab Emirates government against a paramilitary group accused of war crimes, according to the Athleic <thleic”.
The United Arab Emirates strongly deny being parties to the conflict.
FairSquare claims that if the British government decides to impose sanctions on Mansour, it would be disqualified by Manchester City's ownership under Premierliga rules.
They add that their complaint was directly sent to Premierliga and the new independent football regulator.
“If the British government is serious about stopping this terrible conflict, the well documented links of Sheikh Mansour to RSF and his ownership of Manchester City offer a very clear point of pressure”, said FairSquare director Nick McGehan.
The British government has set a precedent with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who was froze assets in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea was later sold to a consortium led by Todd Boyle and “Clarlaque Capital” for more than 4 billion pounds.
Abramovich and the British government still remain in a legal battle over sales revenues.
Any sanctions imposed on Mansour would result in the violation of the Premierliga Property Test and Directors.
