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.

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