In UAE’s Man City heartland, conspiracy theories abound

Scarves on sale outside Anfield ahead of the English Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City in Liverpool. (EPA Images pic) ABU DHABI: Manchester City's problems are easily explained in Abu Dhabi, home of the scandalised team's royal owners, where fans agree: they're victims of a Premier League conspiracy.

Across the oil-rich city, supporters believe there's more to City's woes than meets the eye, saying English football's traditional powers are employing dark arts to neutralise an upstart rival.

"Of course," replied Obeid Al-Heifeiti, 22, without hesitation, when asked if other clubs played a role in the seismic verdict that City broke Premier League financial rules more than 100 times from 2009 to 2018. The club has lodged an appeal.

"I think that's part of it, if a club is successful," said his friend Salman Al-Otaiba, 29, on Sunday, as they watched City dismantle Liverpool 3-0 at a sports bar on Saadiyat island.

The same view was repeated across Abu Dhabi, the UAE's well-heeled, skyscraper-studded capital and centre of its oil wealth. Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are ganging up on City, supporters say.

"It's exaggerated," said an Emirati father at a busy mall on Yas Island, referring to the case against City, flanked by his son wearing the team's replica shirt.

"All these famous clubs, they're doing something in the background," added the bespectacled father, who asked to remain anonymous. "It does not need to be on this level."

A short drive away in a dusty, suburban strip mall, Khalil Al-Khodri was shopping in ManCity Tailor, which specialises in kandooras - the distinctive white robes worn by many Emirati men.

"Behind the scenes there's always someone who's benefiting," he said.

"It's not a Man City issue. It's someone who would like to create chaos so he gets something. It's quite obvious they want to take advantage of this situation right now."

'They're out to get us'

The Emirati owners took over Manchester City in September 2008, not long after oil hit an all-time record of US$147 per barrel. The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, was still under construction in Dubai.

It was a period of global outreach as the wealthy nation, founded just 37 years earlier, turned its attentions to international assets and soft-power projects, holding its first F1 grand prix in Abu Dhabi in 2009.

City, after decades in the doldrums, secured their first Premier League title in unforgettable fashion in 2012, with Sergio Aguero's injury-time winner against QPR in the last game of the season.

Seven more English league titles have followed, six during manager Pep Guardiola's trophy-laden reign, when they also bagged their first treble - the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League - in 2022-2023.

The Emirati owners will now feel "slighted" by the independent commission's ruling, and may believe "they're out to get us for political reasons", a Gulf football writer and broadcaster told AFP.

"They (owners) believe that this is some of the more traditional members of the Premier League protecting their own clubs against outsiders," he said, requesting anonymity.

"They don't believe they've done anything wrong."

He added: "There's a lot of pride in what they did with the team with Pep Guardiola, the trophies they won and the quality of the team.

"There's also a lot of cultural pride. It's a part of the world where honour and pride are very important in dealing with business - a person's word, a person's honour is very important."

'Booze has run out'

Billionaire royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, UAE vice-president and deputy prime minister, is not the only Gulf Arab behind a major European club.

Qatari ex-tennis player Nasser al-Khelaifi is president of Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning European champions who paid a still-record transfer fee of €222 million for Brazil's Neymar in 2017.

Saudi Arabia's oil-funded Public Investment Fund snapped up England's Newcastle United in 2021. However, tighter financial rules have frustrated expectations that the club would spend big on players.

"There certainly was a lot of displeasure in Saudi Arabia when it comes to Newcastle, that they weren't allowed to spend certain amounts of money," the Gulf football expert said.

"It seemed that the minute they bought Newcastle, the rules changed to make it harder and harder to invest in the club and players.

"Newcastle are coming to the party after the booze has run out."