The Manchester City financial scandal threatens to tarnish one of Abu Dhabi’s most dazzling showcases of “soft power” and confronts the United Kingdom with a delicate balancing act in preserving its long-standing ties with the Emirates.
“I can’t intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that,” UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC after the Abu Dhabi-backed club was found guilty of violating Premier League rules between 2009 and 2018.
