Paul Cosgrove

Irish by grace of God

[Arsenal News @ArsenalNews_Hub]

🚨🔵 PREMIER LEAGUE CONSIDERING MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT FOR MANCHESTER CITY!

The Premier League is reportedly looking at imposing the highest punishment possible on Manchester City if the club ultimately loses its appeal.

The Premier League is said to be extremely frustrated with Manchester City over the amount of time and resources spent dealing with what it considers serious breaches committed by the club.

Furthermore, if the Abu Dhabi-owned club continues escalating its fight with the Premier League, English football could reportedly consider taking the unprecedented step of removing Manchester City from the English football pyramid altogether.

The situation could therefore become even more serious if City’s appeal fails and the dispute with the authorities continues to escalate.

🔵 Manchester City’s appeal could determine just how severe the consequences become.

#AFC #Arsenal #ManCity #PremierLeague #EFL #COYG

[UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague]

Parrott 🇮🇪

#UCL

[Rui Pinto @RuiPinto_FL]

On Wednesday, just hours after the verdict officially confirming Manchester City’s guilt, the Commission responsible for Portugal's witness protection programme informed me of its decision to terminate my participation in the programme and withdraw my police protection, thereby knowingly placing me in a life-threatening situation.

Given these circumstances, I have no alternative but to relocate, within the next few days, to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period of time, due to the multiple death threats I have received and the serious risk of an assassination attempt against me.

For this reason, I have just set up a GoFundMe campaign and I am asking for everyone's support to help me survive this serious situation created by the Portuguese State, which, as I have already stated, has knowingly decided to place my life at risk.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thanks to everyone who continues to support Football Leaks, and I can give everyone one guarantee: the fight will most certainly continue!

https://t.co/drJqVeqo2V

[James Ducker @TelegraphDucker]

From Etihad Airways 60-page submission to John Kerry, US Department Secretary of State, Antony Foxx, US Department of Transportation Secretary and Penny Pritzker, US Department of Commerce Secretary on May 31, 2015

[Magic hat 🎩 @themagic_tophat]

⚖️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹

Based on reports of Man City’s proposed appeal, its “irrefutable proof” (which the Commission refuted and called “concocted”) asserts that state-owned sponsors received state funding to help pay the sponsor contracts… and that this money was not paid by the owner company, ADUG.

If Man City could prove this (and the PL could not prove Man City and the sponsors were Related Parties) then this would absolve Man City of the most serious charges that resulted in PSR breaches.

The challenge they faced with this at the Commission is that they handed the PL originals of all the emails and other documents that could be found in the Football Leaks, which show in no uncertain terms that the money was paid by ADUG and that they are Related Parties.

Because there would have been no reason to lie in the emails, and there are so many, from so many senior people “in the know”… they become incredibly credible, reliable, cogent evidence.

As such, Man City presenting counter-factual evidence when they DID have a reason to lie was always going to be treated as concocted unless they could mitigate for the emails with an innocent explanation.

Their attempt to explain the emails as “false assumptions” was never going to be considered plausible given the reasons above.

In the comments below, I will put a thread of linked posts from old analysis that afford evidence of payments by ADUG and that Man City and the sponsors were Related Parties.

Given the individuals involved, the statements made, the volume of them, over the length of time… you can decide for yourself whether you believe it plausible that all these people were merely “confused”… 🧵

[Ben Jacobs @JacobsBen]

Manchester City will argue the so-called 'tagged' sponsorship payments (totalling £830m) came from the Abu Dhabi Government not their owner (ADUG). This applies to State-controlled entities such as Etihad and Etisalat. Yet Etihad has previously refuted AD Government funding as "false".

City can point to an internal report written for the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in 2010 which concluded the Abu Dhabi Government did indeed cover the sponsorship of Manchester City. The report was not intended for external publication.

In their UEFA case, City denied the Etihad (or any other) sponsorship funds came from any other source other than a direct payment. Sheikh Mansour provided a letter which read: "I have not authorised ADUG to make any payments to Etihad, Etisalat or any of their affiliates in relation to their sponsorship of MCFC."

In 2015, the 'Partnership for Open and Fair Skies' wrote to the US departments of Commerce, Transportation and State arguing Etihad gained a competitive advantage due to receiving huge sums from the Abu Dhabi Government. They allude to the internal report referenced above, which appears to confirm this.

Yet Etihad's response was: "The assertion that the Abu Dhabi Government paid for Etihad’s sponsorship of English Premier League football club Manchester City is equally false.

"In 2011 Etihad and Manchester City entered into a 10-year sponsorship agreement, which included naming rights for Manchester City’s stadium. Etihad funded this sponsorship from its own liquidity. It is not uncommon for airlines to have sponsorships with sports teams and their venues."

Etihad's denial the Abu Dhabi Government helped pay for their sponsorship goes against City's core argument, according to the verdict, that "AD Sponsors had from time to time applied for financial assistance from the AD Government towards their liability to pay the Recorded Sponsorship Fees."

Due to redacted names, multiple sponsors, and the phrase 'from time to time', City could make a case for other sponsors, but Etihad's on-record denial doesn't help the club's position, according to multiple legal sources spoken to.

Worth also reiterating, the panel, having reviewed the evidence already provided, already concluded any notion the Abu Dhabi Government not ADUG paid the tagged sums was "concocted well after the event".

[Rob Draper @draper_rob]

Curiouser and curiouser

As @DamianHastie points out, in 2015 the US depts of Commerce, State + Transport launched an inquiry into whether Etihad were receiving govt subsidies

Etihad statement to commission was:

"The assertion that the Abu Dhabi government paid for Etihad's sponsorship of English Premier League football club Manchester City is … false. In 2011, Etihad and Manchester City entered into a 10-year sponsorship agreement, which included naming rights for Manchester City's stadium. Etihad funded this sponsorship from its own liquidity’

[Paul Cosgrove @Sliaveen]

@ManCity

[Paul Cosgrove @Sliaveen]

@City_Xtra @ManCity

[Paul Cosgrove @Sliaveen]

@ManCity

[David Haigh @haighdavid]

I have reported Manchester City, its chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and its directors and owners to Greater Manchester Police.

If the Commission's findings are right, that may be false accounting, misleading auditors and fraud.

Every fan can do the same:
https://t.co/IYSZAKiQdT

[NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing @NoSaudiToon]

Not only did the Abu Dhabi regime cheat their way to success with @ManCity but they also hoodwinked councillors & @andyburnham who let Sheikh Mansour buy up acres of public land for seemingly a fraction of its worth. The people of Manchester were cheated

https://t.co/p2UuDW19Rz

[BBC Politics @BBCPolitics]

"The prime minister's intervention is one of the most extraordinary things I've ever heard"

On #PoliticsLive, Times columnist Matthew Syed reacts to Andy Burnham's comments relating to the ownership of Man City

https://t.co/QitbAYCSSY

[Daniel Storey @danielstorey85]

Etihad threatening to sue. UAE reportedly intimating that UK investment could be pulled. A Prime Minister couching any criticisism. If this sorry saga doesn't convince you that state ownership of football clubs should never be allowed, nothing ever will.

[Telegraph Football @TeleFootball]

"Any notion the Prime Minister is trying to influence an independent body is not just bad for the governance of football – it is bad governance full stop."

@SamWallaceTel believes Andy Burnham must leave his Manchester allegiances in the North West in the case of City versus the Premier League.

Read his comment in full here ⬇️
https://t.co/m6xQLDPYhF

[Anglo-Reconquista @thetraitorfiles]

🚨 THE MANCHESTER–UAE–LABOUR NETWORK

We traced the political structure around Manchester’s relationship with Sheikh Mansour’s investment network.

The result reaches well beyond football.

🏗️ MANCHESTER LIFE

Companies House records Sheikh Mansour as a person with significant control of Manchester Life Development Company, while Manchester City Council is also recorded as a significant shareholder. Manchester Life sits at the centre of the council-development relationship.

🏛️ SIR RICHARD LEESE

Leese led Manchester City Council for 25 years and became a Manchester Life director.

When Andy Burnham became Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, Burnham appointed Leese as Deputy Mayor with responsibility for business and the economy.

Leese therefore sat across Manchester City Council, Manchester Life and Burnham’s regional economic leadership.

He was later appointed Honorary President of Manchester City.

🏗️ BEV CRAIG

Craig succeeded Leese as Manchester council leader and also succeeded him inside Manchester Life.

She subsequently became a senior Greater Manchester figure on economy and business under Burnham.

So the political succession is remarkably neat:

Leese → Craig

Both occupied senior Labour roles in Manchester while also holding positions inside Manchester Life.

👔 ANDY BURNHAM

Burnham was not a Manchester Life director.

His importance is political.

He placed Leese, already embedded in Manchester Life, at the centre of Greater Manchester economic policy.

Craig later became another central economic figure in his administration while also sitting inside Manchester Life.

That makes Burnham the political bridge between the local development structure and the wider Greater Manchester economic model.

🎟️ JEFF SMITH MP

Jeff Smith has declared football hospitality involving Manchester City fixtures.

His current register includes £900 of EFL hospitality for Manchester City v Arsenal at Wembley in March 2026.

🎟️ LUCY POWELL MP

Lucy Powell has also declared hospitality involving Manchester City fixtures.

Her current register includes:

• £900 of EFL hospitality for Manchester City v Arsenal
• £580 of FA hospitality for Manchester City v Chelsea.

Again, these are declared interests, not evidence of improper conduct.

✈️ DAN CARDEN MP

Carden declared a £9,364 visit to the UAE, funded by the UAE Embassy between 27 January and 1 February 2026.

That covered flights, accommodation, food and in-country transport.

🇦🇪 RUSHANARA ALI MP

Ali is a current Labour Vice-Chair of the UAE All-Party Parliamentary Group, Westminster’s formal cross-party group for strengthening UK-UAE relations.

🇦🇪 LORD BLUNKETT

Former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett is also a current Vice-Chair of the UAE APPG.

🇦🇪 SAMANTHA NIBLETT MP

Niblett also served as a Vice-Chair of the UAE APPG before leaving that role.

🇦🇪 YVONNE FOVARGUE

Former Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue repeatedly served as a Vice-Chair of the UAE APPG across previous parliamentary registers.

🇦🇪 JOHN SPELLAR

Former Labour MP John Spellar also served as a Vice-Chair of the UAE APPG.

🇦🇪 KHALID MAHMOOD

Former Labour MP Khalid Mahmood likewise served as a Vice-Chair of the UAE APPG.

🇦🇪 STEVE McCABE

Former Labour MP Steve McCabe also appears in previous parliamentary registers as a Vice-Chair of the UAE APPG.

💷 THE UAE APPG ITSELF

The group has declared UAE Embassy-funded benefits, including travel to Abu Dhabi and parliamentary events.

As of June 2026, its officers included Rushanara Ali and Lord Blunkett, and the register recorded:

• £6,001–£7,500 for the chair’s Abu Dhabi travel
• £1,501–£3,000 for a UAE National Day parliamentary reception
• £22,501–£24,000 for an Abu Dhabi visit by the chair and another MP.

🔍 THE NETWORK

The documented Labour names are therefore:

Andy Burnham
Sir Richard Leese
Bev Craig
Jeff Smith MP
Lucy Powell MP
Dan Carden MP
Rushanara Ali MP
Lord Blunkett
Samantha Niblett MP
Yvonne Fovargue
John Spellar
Khalid Mahmood
Steve McCabe

[Anglo-Reconquista @thetraitorfiles]

🚨 THE CRAIG–BURNHAM–UAE MANCHESTER NETWORK

There is a political and corporate overlap in Manchester that deserves far more scrutiny.

Bev Craig was not simply another Labour council leader.

While Andy Burnham was Mayor of Greater Manchester, Craig became his senior Economy, Business and International figure inside the GMCA. Official records show her continuing to hold the region’s economy and business portfolio into 2026. (Greater Manchester Democracy)

At the same time, Craig was Leader of Manchester City Council.

And she also became a director of Manchester Life, the property-development partnership between Manchester City Council and the investment structure ultimately controlled by Sheikh Mansour.

So one politician was simultaneously sitting across:

Manchester City Council.

Greater Manchester’s regional economic machinery.

And the Sheikh Mansour-linked Manchester Life development structure.

Meanwhile, Burnham repeatedly defended the contribution of Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners to Manchester.

Today, following the Premier League commission’s adverse findings against Manchester City, Burnham said he would be “very concerned” if the Abu Dhabi owners sold the club because of what their investment had done for the city.

Manchester City denies wrongdoing and is appealing the ruling. (Reuters)

The sequence is remarkable.

Burnham builds his Greater Manchester economic model around major outside investment.

Craig becomes one of his most important economic lieutenants.

Craig simultaneously sits inside the flagship Sheikh Mansour-linked property joint venture.

Craig then emerges as Burnham’s political successor in Greater Manchester.

And Burnham continues publicly defending the importance of the Abu Dhabi ownership to Manchester.

But the institutional overlap is very real.

The question worth asking is simple:

How much access and influence did one extraordinarily concentrated Abu Dhabi investment network acquire inside Manchester’s political and development establishment?

[Duncan Castles @DuncanCastles]

Horrendous statement from UK prime minister Andy Burnham on Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership.
1) As PM he should remain entirely neutral.
2) ‘I can’t intervene *more*’ suggests he already has.
3) ‘The detail’ may demonstrate that losing them would be for the best.

[Richard Fitzpatrick @Richard_Fitz]

Irish comedian David Nihill: “Palestine is a room-turning issue”:
https://t.co/tyg2y12mfn @IEArtsCulture @davidnihill @EverymanCork

[Paul Cosgrove @Sliaveen]

@CB_Stan_DFenC @cityreport_