UP376 Too Big To Fail? Man City and the legal fight that could change the Premier League forever

Manchester City are in the process of extending their most important and lucrative sponsorship deal, with Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-based airline, whose brand is synonymous with the club following the takeover by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), which bought 90 per cent of the club from Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, in 2008. But, for obvious reasons, this is not just another sponsorship renewal. The City-Etihad relationship plays a central role in a much bigger story: The Premier League has accused Manchester City of more than 100 violations of its financial regulations, rules breaches that it says began more than a decade ago and continue to present day.Manchester City says it has done nothing wrong and declared itself “surprised” at the airing of what it referred to as “alleged breaches.” So the looming court case will match the one of the world’s richest sporting competitions against its most successful member clubs. The catalyst for today's conversation is a piece written by Nick Harris, former Mail on Sunday investigative journalist, and one of our guests today.Joining Nick is Stefan Borson, a corporate lawyer and investment banker who helped manage the sale of Manchester City in 2008. It's fair to say they don't agree. This week’s podcast is sponsored by We Are Sweet, the leading provider of digital platforms for the sports industry.  Are you responsible for digital but not sure what to do with all the data you’ve collected?  We Are Sweet excels in crafting best-in-class software, ranging from unique engagement experiences to next-generation websites. With more than a decade of innovating alongside names like IMG, ATP, Professional Triathletes Organisation and F1,  you can trust that their software delivers.Whether you're looking to kickstart your community and transform the way you communicate with professional players, bring data to life in a second-screen experience, or need a website that monetises fans, We Are Sweet is the digital partner you need.   Visit www.wearesweet.co.uk to turn your digital aspirations into tangible success stories.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.