Could ManCity’s court troubles throw a wrench in UK-UAE ties? + Talabat is getting attention in the foreign press

The UAE has reportedly brought up the issue of Manchester City Football Club’s financial fair-play breaches case with the UK government, Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. The club — which is majority owned by Abu Dhabi United Group — is facing 115 charges, including providing wrong financial information and receiving inflated sponsorship revenues. The verdict is expected sometime in the coming months, sources said.

While British authorities are reluctant to interfere in the Premier League’s affairs, the UK is in a tough spot as it looks to keep relations with the UAE strong while it vies for more funding for strategic projects. This is especially sensitive after Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI withdrew its bid to acquire The Telegraph following months of opposition from the UK government. The UAE believes that the lack of a consistent policy due to changes in leadership, the business information service cites a UAE official as saying.

“The fact that the owner and chairman of Manchester City are such senior figures in Abu Dhabi means that any adverse finding of fact by the independent commission would inevitably be taken very seriously by all concerned,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, a research fellow at the Baker Institute in Houston.

Delivery Hero’s MENA unit, Talabat, is getting attention in the foreign press after its USD 2 bn IPO, with Bloomberg saying the unit is driving the company’s growth, especially as it faces rising competition and regulatory hurdles in Asia. The unit generated some USD 5.3 bn in sales for the company in 9M 2024, while proceeds from the will help pay down some of Delivery Hero’s USD 3.8 bn in convertible bonds, CEO Niklas Östberg said. However, competition is heating up as China’s Meituan expands in the region — its app, Keeta, recently hit 1 mn weekly users, matching Talabat.