Man City chairman grilled on 115 charges as Sheikh Mansour decides on sale | Football | Sport
Khaldoon Al Mubarak (left) has conducted his annual end of season interview (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has confirmed that Sheikh Mansour has no plans to sell the club as their stadium redevelopment progresses, and was once again asked about the 115 charges against the club. While serious allegations from the Premier League remain outstanding and Pep Guardiola has departed following a decade at the helm, City’s ownership group are understood to be enthusiastic about the sustained success their investment can deliver.
Mansour spearheaded a transformative takeover at the Etihad in 2008, and his lieutenant, Al Mubarak, has revolutionised the club since, establishing them among the elite in England and across Europe. They have also developed the surrounding area, with a £200million training complex unveiled across the road in 2014 and a £300m improvement of the North Stand underway to convert the Etihad into a year-round entertainment destination.
Since the Abu Dhabi era began, critics have questioned how long it will last and when City might see their financial backing withdrawn. Yet after 18 years, the message from the top is that considerably more lies ahead.
One significant obstacle still looming for the ownership is the Premier League charges, first brought against the club in 2023 and yet to be resolved despite a hearing into all the evidence that concluded 18 months ago. Al Mubarak has previously expressed his eagerness to speak out once a verdict has been reached, and he reaffirmed that position once again.
“Let me be as consistent as I’ve always been – until we have a ruling, I can’t say much,” he said. “Once we have a ruling, believe me, we’re going to have a wonderful sit down together and I’ll say everything I’ve wanted to say for the last three years.”
And on Mansour’s commitment, Al Mubarak said: “There’s no intention to sell. There’s only intention to keep growing this because the view here is this will only grow and this is a beautiful business to own.
“It’s football and it’s entertainment. And in the world we’re in today, while the world changes and people’s attention goes to different things, sport stays. And football within sports is the pinnacle. And Manchester City and this Group within the football world is a pinnacle. And these sorts of jewels, you don’t sell.
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Sheikh Mansour has no plans to sell Man City (Image: Getty)
“When Sheikh Mansour looks at this club, he sees it as a long-term investment. Not just Sheikh Mansour. Sheikh Mansour of course and the shareholders who have invested in this club over the years buy into the vision that we’re going to invest in something that’s going to grow in value over time.”
“Of course, His Highness has no intention of selling this business, but over time, new shareholders come in at different value points that show how that value is really growing. So, this club, when Sheikh Mansour first invested in it, the value was $100-120 million back in 2008.
“Then over the years we’ve had multiple stop points where the value went from $120million to $1billion, the value of the Group became $1 billion. Then it became $2billion, then it became $3billion, then we had investors come in and actually invest in the club at $3 billion.
“We continued to grow; we continued to grow the value of this business while always keeping the profits and the revenue in the business because that helps to keep growing this value that we’re creating.
“Then we went up to $5billion and then more money came in, investors buying into this strategy, buying into this value creation and putting money into it. And again, Sheikh Mansour took a very important choice which was that the money stays in because we’re going to keep building this.
“And this went up from $5billion to $6billion, to $7billion, to north of $8billion dollars. If you’re going to sell all this today in the market, you wouldn’t sell it for less than $10billion minimum. That’s value creation.”
Al Mubarak outlined the new entertainment district being developed around the North Stand, which encompasses the Co-Op Live arena in which City Football Group hold a major shareholding, describing it as unrivalled anywhere in Europe.
He championed the investment as one that will generate considerable returns for both City and the surrounding area. While Mansour and Al Mubarak maintain various other commercial and political commitments, City remains ‘a jewel’ for them that they are fully involved in.
