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The City of Riches

Roar Rookie
2nd September, 2008
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Roar Rookie
2nd September, 2008
18
1102 Reads

The next super club in world football is a team from Manchester, but it’s not Manchester United. The richest club on the planet is a team which plays in blue, but it’s not Chelsea either. The club in question is English Premier League club Manchester City.

Manchester City was very recently sold to the Abu Dhabi United Group (UDUG), made up of individuals including ultra-wealthy United Arab Emirates royal family members and the multi-billionaire Sulaiman Al Fahim.

The new owners have such deep pockets and deeper ambitions that, in virtually their first move as new owners, they did the unthinkable – outbid – billionaire Russian Roman Abramovich of Chelsea for the signature of Real Madrid’s Robinho.

The Brazilian forward was long linked to a Chelsea move, and even came out himself saying as recently as two days ago: “The situation has not changed. I want to leave Real and play for Chelsea… I am only thinking of Chelsea and want to play there.”

One can only imagine what Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich is feeling right now.

Obviously not too concerned with ruffling feathers, City’s new owners next came close to hijacking Berbatov from local rivals Manchester United when they boldly launched a colossal bid of £34 million for the player, and simultaneously made a £40 million approach for Valencia’s David Villa.

These kinds of record breaking transfers seem to be symptoms of a football cold war in which the new ultra-rich club owners stockpile the best players by paying exorbitant fees which they will largely never recover.

Shaun Wright-Phillips ring a bell anyone? Or a certain Mr Shevchenko?

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Some have described the UDUG’s wealth as “Abramovich times ten.”

And clearly Manchester City are not afraid to spend large chunks of this wealth under their new ownership. Tellingly, Al Fahim said today: “Money is not a worry to my board.”

While foreign ownership of clubs used to be a hotly contentious issue among loyal club fans, Manchester City’s new owners will almost certainly be welcomed by the fans of the club who have been on something of a roller coaster ride when it comes to their club ownership and administration.

And the UDUG is surely seen as a relief from the, shall we say, somewhat shady Thaksin Shinawatra, although he may still be involved in the club in some capacity.

Many Manchester City fans are planning on celebrating the new owners by wearing Arab headgear at their next match which is against Chelsea.

While many of the football headlines over the next few days in England may be about the British Transfer fee record payed by City for Robinho, there is no doubt that the larger issue that will become more and more interesting is what this means for the so-called dominance of the big-four clubs who are now in the shadow of a financial giant.

And one which is not afraid to spend large sums of money to meet its equally giant ambitions.

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Manchester City fans must be jumping out of their skins right now.

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