SUMMARY
- Manchester City is on a streak with winning 3 Champions League trophies.
- The team was bought by the vice president of UAE is 2008, enabling the team to buy star players.
Manchester City has established itself as a global soccer powerhouse. ‘The Cityzens’ have won trophies left, and right. It has won the last 3 Premier League titles in a row and is one of the favorites to win it in the 23/24 season as well. After years of repeated failures, Manchester City became European Champions in 2023 and completed a historic treble.
The 2022/23 champions of Europe, Man City 🏆#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/Hw32TLLpFM
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 10, 2023
However, even after years of success, Man City has still been unable to win soccer enthusiasts’ hearts. Many of them still do not rate Manchester City as a big club and often question its history. One of the most derogatory terms associated with the club is the term ‘oil club.’ However, beginners in the world of soccer might find it difficult to understand the meaning behind the term.
Manchester City has earned the notoriety of being an ‘oil club’
Manchester City wasn’t always the trophy-winning giant that it is today. It was a humble club from North-Western England that rarely dreamt of winning trophies. The club fought mid-table mediocrity while in the Premier League and even had to play in England’s second division for the latter half of the 1990s. However, everything changed in 2008 when the Vice President of the UAE purchased the club.
Sheikh Mansour purchased a 90% stake in ‘The Cityzens’ from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. His group Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) has started pumping a lot of money into the club. Manchester City then started to buy the biggest names in the soccer world and revamped the club’s infrastructure with state-of-the-art facilities. This hasn’t gone down well with soccer fans who accuse Manchester City of essentially buying success.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed attends Man City FC’s training at Emirates Palace pic.twitter.com/of9zJwsx6G
— منصور بن زايد (@HHMansoor) February 25, 2017
And the fans do have a point. 7 of the club’s 9 Premier League titles have come after the takeover in 2008. The club hadn’t even tasted UEFA Champions League soccer before the takeover as the club’s first UCL campaign came in the 2011/12 season. The fact that the club wasn’t always an elite trophy-winner before the takeover, has given the club the title of an ‘oil club.’
The club might face relegation due to its 115 FFP breaches
However, the club’s money power game might find its end. In 2023, the Premier League accused Manchester City of being guilty of breaching 115 Financial Play Rules. The mammoth wrongdoing dates back to 2009, a year after the takeover. Some of the accusations around the club include failing to disclose accurate financial records and the remuneration details of its managers.
🚨 Premier League CEO Richard Masters says “a date has been set” for Manchester City’s FFP case but “I can’t tell you when that date is”. @sistoney67 pic.twitter.com/gJb36Jjhax
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) January 16, 2024
The case hasn’t made any significant progress ever since, but the Premier League has reportedly started the procedures for the Pep Guardiola-managed team. Sources believe that the Abu Dhabi-backed club might even get relegated from the top flight. Other possible punishments for the club include a huge points reduction or a gigantic fine.
The PL has been very serious with clubs with poor financial records and has been cracking them down. It would be interesting to see how the League’s authorities deal with Manchester City.