Lisa Nandy has warned foreign owners of British football clubs that they must “uphold the integrity of the game” – as Manchester City was found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules.
In an interview with The i Paper, the Culture Secretary said that “football belongs to its fans”, and while investment from around the world is welcome, “undue interference is not”.
Nandy made the comments just hours before it was reported that Manchester City, which is majority-owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan – a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family – were found guilty of all but one of the financial rules they were accused of breaking.
The long-running saga has dominated the footballing world for years, but it has also created diplomatic friction, with the case becoming entangled in Britain’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The UAE raised the City charges directly with Labour’s former foreign secretary David Lammy in a 2024 meeting, where he made clear that it was a matter for the Premier League. Foreign Office officials also sought updates on the case under the previous Conservative government.
Asked directly whether diplomatic pressure from the UAE was appropriate, Nandy said: “While we welcome investment into football, undue interference is not. And both the Premier League and the EFL [English Football League] have a responsibility to uphold that which I know they take seriously.”
It is understood Nandy was seeking to make a broader point about foreign investment in UK football.But coming on the day Manchester City’s guilt was confirmed, many will see it as a warning to the UAE.
One source with close links to the UAE described the case as a “steady irritant”, while a senior Government source said it has been an “ongoing bugbear of the Emirates”.
“All foreign governments want to do is talk about the Premier League and which football matches they’ve been to. It will be something that cuts through,” they said.
An ex-minister with knowledge of the case claimed that the Emiratis had failed to understand “there’s lots of things the British government can’t control. One of which is the conduct of the Premier League.”
Nandy said: “They [foreign football owners] have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the game, to ensure those clubs are handed on in good shape, and that the game itself is… in good shape to future generations.”
No sanctions have been officially announced yet, and City are expected to appeal the decision. The sanctions could include the stripping of titles won by City, a points deduction, a financial penalty, or even relegation from the top flight. City have always denied the charges.
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport during the Uefa Euro 2024 semi-final match between Netherlands and England (Photo: Michael Regan/UEFA)The charges span from the 2009-10 season until the five-year investigation ended during the 2022-23 campaign.
Nandy, who has forged close links with her local football club Wigan Athletic, said the length of time it has taken to adjudicate the case had “caused serious challenges to the whole of the Premier League.”
The Culture Secretary was equally critical of Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s plan to bring private investors into the commercial operation of the World Cup.
The proposal, which Fifa said could raise billions for football development, was opposed by Uefa and national football associations before being withdrawn.
“We were appalled by the plan that Infantino was pursuing around the sale of the World Cup to private investors,” Nandy said. “We believe that Fifa needs a change of leadership. I think it’s time for Infantino to move aside and to make way for somebody who can put the fans first.”
Her own ambitions for major international football in Britain, however, remain very much alive.
A men’s World Cup is among the events the Government is exploring for the future, although Nandy stressed that there is “no firm bid at this stage”.
Andy Burnham is a big football fan who supports Everton (Photo: Lewis Storey/Getty)With Euro 2028 and next year’s Tour de France already on the horizon, she said the Government was looking at what could come next, including a potential men’s World Cup, the Ryder Cup and “really ambitious plans” to bring the Olympics to the north of England for the first time.
The Wigan MP also backed the Prime Minister’s call for an end to rules that prevent football fans from drinking alcohol in the stands, arguing that supporters should not be “singled out for different treatment” from those attending other major sporting events.
But she acknowledged the concerns of police forces facing what she described as “immense” pressures, saying ministers were considering trials that could allow alcohol back into football grounds, without having made a firm decision.
While discussing other matters linked to her brief, Nandy said she was “enormously sympathetic” to singer Ed Sheeran over the controversy surrounding Macklemore being dropped as his support act for his tour. She stressed that the singer did not hold all the power over the arrangements and had been heavily involved in trying to change the decision.
Sheeran, she argued, has deliberately used music to create spaces in which people with different views can come together.
“I think to try and cancel Ed Sheeran is to really misunderstand the power of what artists like him do,” she said.
Nandy drew on her own experience as chair of Labour Friends of Palestine in the Middle East, arguing that creating opportunities for people to meet and understand one another can be more powerful than simply confronting political disagreement.
“The most powerful thing, in fact, the only bright spot on the horizon over the last decade has been the way that those civil society organisations have created spaces for Palestinians and Israelis to come together to understand one another and to build relationships and connections that have forced politicians to act.”
“I think those people who are attacking Ed Sheeran have fundamentally misunderstood this moment and how you really create changes,” Nandy said.
She added: “My heart goes out to him. I think he’s done the right thing.”
Nandy also hailed grassroots comedy for its ability to “come together and laugh in a world where it feels we’ve lost the ability to connect and to understand one another.”
She has taken a keen interest in a campaign for the industry to receive the same recognition and support given to live music, with campaigners warning that venues, performers and promoters are facing rising costs and limited access to funding.
“Watch this space,” she said.
Nandy was equally clear on the importance of keeping the UK’s museums and galleries free to enter, while acknowledging that the Government is considering whether international visitors could eventually be charged.
She described free admission as “one of the great legacies of the last Labour government”, saying it had opened the doors of Britain’s cultural institutions to people from both the UK and abroad.
There is an argument, she said, that charging international visitors could raise money to give more young people in Britain the chance to visit.
“I’m not convinced of that case, but it is something that we are exploring as a government,” she said.
On the BBC, Nandy said no decision had been made on the future of the licence fee. Last week, The i Paper revealed that the licence fee could be axed and replaced by an £11-a-month internet levy.
However, Nandy would not be drawn on the proposals, saying: “The one thing that is non-negotiable is that we do intend to fund the BBC properly in future.”
Hence then, the article about uk sports minister on man city cheating case uae s money is welcome interference is not was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( UK sports minister on Man City cheating case: UAE’s money is welcome, interference is not )
Also on site :
- Britain’s rhetorical war, Zelensky’s UN crashout, deep state media exposed: RT stories that shaped the week
- NYFF Turns Up The Heat As ‘Godzilla’, ‘Artificial’, ‘NAZA’, ‘You Can See Everything’ Spark Festival Buzz
- Psychologist Says People Who Like To Read Every Day Don’t Just ‘Want To Escape’—They Actually Often Share These 5 Unique Qualities