Controversy seems to be following Man City around at every turn just now, rendering their recent treble win as yesterday’s news.
Since breaking their Premier League hoodoo back in 2012, the Cityzens have gone on to become the most successful side in the English top-flight over the past decade.
Under Pep Guardiola, the current champions of England and Europe have gone from strength to strength, playing some of the best football ever seen in an English league.
Unfortunately, there have always been underlying issues that have dogged the club and that won’t seem to go away.
There’s the significant matter of 115 separate charges being brought against the club for various apparent misdeamours, per The Times (subscription required) as a start point.
At present, the club and its employees have chosen not to speak about them, other than Guardiola’s proclamation that he would leave the club immediately if he felt he had been lied to.
Now, however, yet another issue has reared its ugly head above the parapet.
According to The Times (subscription required), a leaked report has uncovered that an unnamed person or persons from the United Arab Emirates paid £30 million to the club which UEFA have deduced should’ve come from a main sponsor, Etisalat.
However, it appears the funds were disguised equity funding supplied by City’s owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), headed by Sheikh Mansour.
It’s yet another murky scenario for the club, and the sooner the truth is uncovered the better for all concerned.