Standing behind the counter of his fish-and-chip shop near the Etihad Stadium, Sailish Parekh says the transformation of east Manchester over the past two decades has been remarkable.
Manchester City “has not only just been a football club for the area. It’s a bit of a saviour, to be honest,” he told AFP.
Before City — now embroiled in the biggest financial scandal to hit football’s cash-rich Premier League — moved to the area it was “very deprived” with high rates of unemployment, he said.
