# Mega-rich clubs now operate with impunity

> Global elites bypass rules to dominate football and politics.
- Title: Mega-rich clubs now operate with impunity · the Guardian
- Summary: Global elites bypass rules to dominate football and politics. Manchester City's financial irregularities reveal how billionaire owners exploit legal…
- Keywords: manchester city, united arab emirates, premier league, ufa, financial irregularity, billionaire ownership, football governance, sports, Mega-rich, clubs, operate, impunity
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/29/manchester-city-global-mega-rich-impunity
- Published: 2026-09-29T13:30:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: manchester city, united arab emirates, premier league, ufa, financial irregularity, billionaire ownership, football governance, sports
## Leaked emails reveal power dynamics
Manchester City's leaked emails show chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak prefers suing Uefa for 10 years over fines.

> rather spend 30 million on the 50 best lawyers in the world to sue [Uefa] for the next 10 years
## City threatens Uefa governance
City lawyer Simon Cliff claims Uefa ignores aggression and threatens to destroy their rules.

> Uefa doesn't respond to anything other than aggression
## Financial irregularities uncovered
Manchester City faces over 100 charges including £900m in sham payments.

> sham payments totalling around £900m
## UAE's diplomatic involvement
UAE officials warn adverse verdict could threaten billions in UK investments.

> adverse verdict against City could threaten billions in Emirati investment
## Football tribunal diplomacy
UK's clean-energy transition tied to football tribunal decisions.

> the UK's clean-energy transition is contingent on whether a panel decides whether Roberto Mancini's coaching contract was fair
## Abu Dhabi's governance model
City argues Premier League's two-thirds majority rule is 'tyranny of the majority'.

> the tyranny of the majority
## UAE's human rights record
UAE defies arms embargos in Sudan and Libya with political repression.

> UAE is responsible for widespread acts of political repression and rights abuses
## Global power shift
Billionaire owners like City and Newcastle United control football's top clubs.

> the top end of English football is essentially owned by bored men given more money than they can possibly know what to do with
## Power beyond football
Similar power dynamics exist in tech, politics, and business.

> For Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia you might just as easily read Jeff Bezos, Meta, Elon Musk, or Donald Trump
## Rule of law at stake
City denies wrongdoing while global powers negotiate legal consequences.

> City continue to deny any wrongdoing
## What happens next
Diplomatic deals and appeals could reshape global football governance.

> Doubtless there will be appeals upon appeals, perhaps even ending in the high court many years hence
## Key takeaway

Manchester City's financial irregularities reveal how billionaire owners exploit legal loopholes to operate without accountability.