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[00:00:01] you are. Business on BBC News. Make
[00:00:01] Make the connection. MUSIC
[00:00:12] MUSIC After After one of football's biggest disciplinary disciplinary rulings, Manchester
[00:00:16] Manchester City have been found guilty
[00:00:18] guilty of most of the 115 charges
[00:00:20] charges against them. Now on BBC BBC News, with an appeal looming,
[00:00:23] looming, we trace how the case unfolded.
[00:00:28] unfolded. Over the past. Decade, Decade, Manchester City have enjoyed
[00:00:31] enjoyed an era of unprecedented success.
[00:00:34] success. The only English club in in history to have won the top division
[00:00:37] division title four times in a row.
[00:00:39] row. But for years now a cloud has
[00:00:41] has hung above the Etihad. City accused accused of a catalogue of rule violations
[00:00:45] violations by the very competition competition they dominated for so
[00:00:48] so long. In September 2026, in a
[00:00:51] a decision that shocked the sporting sporting world, it was announced
[00:00:54] announced city had been found guilty
[00:00:56] guilty of all the charges they faced faced relating to serious breaches
[00:00:59] breaches of the Premier League's League's financial regulations from
[00:01:03] from 2009 through to 2018. In a damning
[00:01:06] damning ruling, a commission laying laying bare sham contracts with commercial
[00:01:10] commercial partners with income hugely hugely overstated a concerted campaign
[00:01:14] campaign to falsify and a disguised disguised funding scheme used to
[00:01:17] to artificially inflate the club's
[00:01:19] club's revenues and reduce its costs
[00:01:22] costs by £830 million. A number of
[00:01:23] of club witnesses giving untrue and
[00:01:26] and dishonest evidence. City were were found to have disguised money
[00:01:30] money from its owner, an investment investment company belonging to Sheikh
[00:01:32] Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi's Dhabi's ruling family, as sponsorship
[00:01:36] sponsorship fees in order to comply comply with spending rules. The commission
[00:01:39] commission said the club had filed filed misstated accounts and clearly
[00:01:43] clearly intended to circumvent the the rules. Mr Soriano. Hello, sir.
[00:01:46] sir. Can I just ask about the guilty guilty charges? How you feel about
[00:01:49] about that? Can you have any message message for your fans who are concerned
[00:01:53] concerned about the club being called called cheats? Before the news broke,
[00:01:55] broke, I tracked down city's chief chief executive here at a meeting
[00:01:59] meeting of club officials in Copenhagen. Copenhagen. You can prove your innocence.
[00:02:02] innocence. The club at all. Any message message for the fans who are concerned?
[00:02:06] concerned? Thank you. Later, city
[00:02:08] city said in a statement it was disappointed disappointed and surprised the club
[00:02:12] club is innocent of the accusations accusations made by the Premier League
[00:02:15] League and a comprehensive body of of irrefutable evidence exists in
[00:02:18] in support of all of its positions positions relating to this case.
[00:02:21] case. Manchester City will now pursue pursue the appeal avenues open to
[00:02:24] to it on the basis that the opinion opinion contains clear material errors
[00:02:28] errors of law, principle and fact
[00:02:30] fact and is unsafe. So what did the the UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham
[00:02:34] Burnham make of the ruling? Here Here he is talking to the BBC's political
[00:02:37] political editor, Chris Mason. Now
[00:02:39] Now I am not privy to all of. The
[00:02:43] The points of contest contestation contestation between city and the
[00:02:47] the Premier League. They deny any any wrongdoing but on the face of
[00:02:49] of it they've got some big questions questions to answer. Yeah, but I
[00:02:52] I remember people proclaiming Everton
[00:02:55] Everton guilty at the time and you you know, with hindsight, I think
[00:02:58] think more people would say that that wasn't fair. The way that was
[00:03:01] was handled. The regeneration of of parts of Manchester were paid
[00:03:05] paid for by the club and the regeneration regeneration that went on. The money money from the United Arab Emirates.
[00:03:08] Emirates. Are you confident that that all your dealings with them them when you were mayor will stand
[00:03:12] stand up to scrutiny? Oh, indeed
[00:03:15] indeed I do actually thank the City
[00:03:17] City Football Group and the wider wider ownership for the money that
[00:03:20] that they didn't just put into the the Etihad and the campus around
[00:03:23] around it, but also into the city. city. But yes of course. Do you worry
[00:03:27] worry they might sell up? Well I
[00:03:30] I would be really concerned to lose lose them. They've been such a huge
[00:03:34] huge partner in the building of modern modern Manchester. Have you had any
[00:03:38] any representations from the United United Arab Emirates government around
[00:03:41] around all of this? They are a big big a big ally of the UK. I am not
[00:03:45] not getting directly involved in, in, in the process. I mean would
[00:03:47] would you take a call if I have not
[00:03:50] not spoken to anybody directly about about that? And would you say if
[00:03:53] if they wanted to have that conversation conversation that that wouldn't be be appropriate? Well, I would obviously
[00:03:57] obviously say this has to be a process
[00:04:01] process undertaken independently independently by the Premier League. League. Do you see a dilemma between
[00:04:04] between the values of the game being being upheld with a potentially massive
[00:04:08] massive punishment coming Manchester Manchester City's way and damage
[00:04:11] damage to a key UK trading relationship? relationship? Well, there's a lot
[00:04:14] lot at stake, let's be honest about about that for the football club,
[00:04:18] club, for city supporters, for the the City of Manchester. So how did
[00:04:22] did one of football's biggest scandals
[00:04:26] scandals unfold? The Premier League League has charged Manchester City
[00:04:29] City with more than 100 serious breaches
[00:04:32] breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations.
[00:04:34] regulations. Basically inflated sponsorship sponsorship Keith Doyle payments payments to other people. We have
[00:04:38] have a big thick rule book and part part of any sporting competition
[00:04:41] competition is a commitment to uphold uphold those rules. So Manchester Manchester City were effectively
[00:04:45] effectively being accused of cheating. cheating. Mr Soriano, can we just
[00:04:48] just ask you about. I have no comment.
[00:04:51] comment. City, who have always denied denied any wrongdoing. Everybody's
[00:04:54] Everybody's innocent and guilty is is proven. Let's be judged by the
[00:04:57] the facts and not by claims and counterclaims.
[00:05:01] counterclaims. The fans. The players, players, the management staff. It's
[00:05:04] It's been difficult. I think it would would be a sporting disaster if that
[00:05:07] that club was found guilty. In the the end, I think you'd struggle. struggle. To find a sports lawyer
[00:05:11] lawyer who would say in living memory memory there's been anything bigger
[00:05:14] bigger than this. For more than a
[00:05:17] a decade, I've been covering a story story that culminated in one of sport's
[00:05:20] sport's biggest ever legal disputes, disputes, one that pitted the Premier
[00:05:24] Premier League, one of the country's country's highest profile exports
[00:05:27] exports against its serial champions, champions, Manchester City. So how
[00:05:30] how did we get here and what's at at stake for one of English football's
[00:05:33] football's most historic clubs?
[00:05:50] It's Sergio. Aguero.
[00:06:05] The origins of this saga began
[00:06:08] back in 2008, when city were transformed transformed into one of the world's
[00:06:11] world's richest clubs after being being bought by Sheikh Mansour, a
[00:06:15] a billionaire member of Abu Dhabi's Dhabi's ruling family and the deputy
[00:06:18] deputy Prime Minister of the United United Arab Emirates. His sovereign
[00:06:21] sovereign wealth helped to entice entice some of the world's best players.
[00:06:24] players. The first of eight Premier Premier League titles secured in
[00:06:28] in 2012. There's a new name on the
[00:06:30] the trophy. That name is Manchester
[00:06:32] Manchester City. But the club's commercial
[00:06:35] commercial deals were raising eyebrows. eyebrows. They were signing sponsorship
[00:06:38] sponsorship deals that were. Hugely Hugely significant, not just in the
[00:06:41] the context of Manchester City but but also in the context of Premier
[00:06:45] Premier League sponsorship rights rights or commercial opportunities.
[00:06:48] opportunities. So I always used to to look at the example of Arsenal Arsenal when they signed up with
[00:06:52] with the Emirates around about £20 £20 million a year. They of course course moved into a new stadium.
[00:06:56] stadium. But Arsenal was a club that that had qualified for the Champions
[00:06:59] Champions League. I think nine out out of the previous ten seasons. seasons. They of course won the Premier
[00:07:03] Premier League. Then here you have
[00:07:05] have this new Manchester City team team that are signing sponsorship
[00:07:08] sponsorship deals with Etihad that that were worth almost twice, perhaps
[00:07:11] perhaps a little bit more than twice
[00:07:13] twice the same value that Arsenal
[00:07:15] Arsenal were generating. In 2014. 2014. City was sanctioned by Uefa
[00:07:19] Uefa for breaching financial Fair Fair Play rules that limited club's
[00:07:23] club's losses to deter overspending. overspending. The critics felt FFP,
[00:07:26] FFP, as it was known, protected Europe's Europe's more established clubs.
[00:07:29] clubs. But city were handed a heavy
[00:07:31] heavy fine. I think we saw the early early signs of trouble back then
[00:07:35] then in a decade or decade ago that
[00:07:38] that suggested that there may be be further issues were Manchester
[00:07:41] Manchester City not to comply with with those Financial Fair Play regulations, regulations, which of course themselves
[00:07:45] themselves were still fairly in their their infancy at the time. And then
[00:07:49] then four years later, as their era era of dominance gathered pace, the.
[00:07:53] the. Sky is blue, the ribbons are
[00:07:54] are blue. Manchester City champions
[00:07:59] champions again allegations emerged
[00:08:00] emerged for the first time. Claims
[00:08:07] Claims by a German news magazine magazine that Manchester City tried
[00:08:10] tried to cheat financial Fair play
[00:08:12] play rules. Der Spiegel had published
[00:08:15] published details from leaked documents, documents, including emails sent
[00:08:18] sent between top city executives.
[00:08:23] executives. Passengers on Etihad Etihad Airways Flight 15 to Manchester.
[00:08:26] Manchester. The magazine claimed claimed these documents showed the
[00:08:29] the club had effectively deceived deceived Uefa by artificially inflating
[00:08:33] inflating sponsorship revenue from from state owned airline Etihad and
[00:08:37] and state controlled telecoms firm
[00:08:39] firm Etisalat. One email, for instance,
[00:08:42] instance, appeared to show that of
[00:08:44] of the £67 million annual sponsorship
[00:08:46] sponsorship by Etihad, only £8 million
[00:08:49] million in 2015-16 was funded directly directly by the airline, with the
[00:08:52] the rest coming from the club's holding holding company. Sheikh Mansour's
[00:08:56] Mansour's investment vehicle Abu
[00:08:58] Abu Dhabi United Group, one of the the journalists who sifted through
[00:09:02] through the files, told us what it it was like to be at the heart of
[00:09:05] of such a big story. It was very
[00:09:08] very much a fascinating feeling of of like, like a child in a candy
[00:09:11] candy store. Like if you're a football football fan, if you're a sports sports journalist, it was amazing
[00:09:15] amazing to see the actual documents, documents, to see those emails where
[00:09:18] where things are like negotiated negotiated and to like get a real
[00:09:21] real look behind the curtain, how how things work. Manchester City
[00:09:24] City have been accused of misrepresentation,
[00:09:27] misrepresentation, effectively financial financial fraud in the shape of,
[00:09:30] of, first of all, artificially inflating inflating the money coming into the
[00:09:34] the club, taking money from the owner owner and pretending it was money
[00:09:37] money from sponsors and that went went into their money in column.
[00:09:41] column. They were. Being accused
[00:09:43] accused of stepping outside the regulations, regulations, which meant they were
[00:09:47] were getting an unfair advantage. advantage. City and the companies
[00:09:51] companies involved denied wrongdoing, wrongdoing, but there then followed
[00:09:53] followed further allegations of misreporting misreporting financial information
[00:09:56] information centred on documents documents that claimed to show secret
[00:09:59] secret payments to former manager manager Roberto Mancini. The contracts
[00:10:03] contracts appeared to show an alleged alleged payment of £1.75 million
[00:10:07] million to the Italian for consultancy consultancy services from Al Jazeera
[00:10:11] Jazeera and Abu Dhabi Club, owned owned by Sheikh Mansour. More than
[00:10:15] than the basic salary of 1.45 million
[00:10:17] million that Mancini was being paid paid by city themselves, he denied
[00:10:21] denied any wrongdoing. No, I haven't.
[00:10:24] haven't. Been contacted or. Called Called up by anyone and I don't think
[00:10:27] think anyone will contact me. I have
[00:10:30] have paid my taxes. It's all above above board so I don't think anyone anyone will be in
[00:11:34] And is Europe ready? The security security brief live with an audience
[00:11:38] audience here on BBC News. If you
[00:11:48] you can't allegedly pay some of your your employees through a different different company, that will reduce
[00:11:52] reduce your expenditure, which ultimately ultimately then increases your profit
[00:11:55] profit and helps you with your financial financial Fair Play regulations.
[00:11:58] regulations. City. Who have always always denied that their state owned,
[00:12:02] owned, said that the emails had been been obtained illegally and were,
[00:12:05] were, they said, an attempt to damage
[00:12:07] damage the club's reputation. Its
[00:12:10] Its chief executive refusing to comment
[00:12:11] comment when I approached him at
[00:12:14] at the time Soriano. We just ask ask you about the Spiegel and the
[00:12:17] the Football League story. What do do you have to say about that? Thank
[00:12:20] Thank you sir, thank you. I have
[00:12:22] have no comment. The source of the
[00:12:26] the documents had been Portuguese Portuguese computer hacker Rui Pinto,
[00:12:29] Pinto, the man behind the Football Football Leaks website which published
[00:12:32] published confidential transfer and and contract information despite
[00:12:35] despite always claiming he was a a whistleblower, he was subsequently
[00:12:38] subsequently handed a suspended sentence sentence by a court in Lisbon after
[00:12:41] after it found him guilty on counts counts of attempted extortion, illegal
[00:12:45] illegal access to data and a breach
[00:12:47] breach of correspondence. Back in
[00:12:50] in 2019, however, the leaks led to to a Uefa investigation. Five years
[00:12:54] years on at his office in Paris, Paris, Pinto's lawyer told me that
[00:12:57] that his client should be seen as
[00:12:59] as a hero. Football should be grateful
[00:13:02] grateful to him. Tax administration administration should be grateful
[00:13:05] grateful to him. I hope that one one day someone will shake the. Hand
[00:13:09] Hand of Pinto and say thanks to.
[00:13:11] to. You. Back in 2019, city insisted
[00:13:15] insisted the accusations swirling swirling around the club were entirely entirely false. But the following
[00:13:18] following year came a bombshell.
[00:13:27] bombshell. The Premier League champions, champions, Manchester City, have have been banned from the Champions
[00:13:30] Champions League for two seasons seasons by European football's governing
[00:13:33] governing body Uefa. City had been
[00:13:36] been found guilty by Uefa club financial financial control body of serious
[00:13:40] serious breaches of the rules. An An independent panel concluding they'd
[00:13:44] they'd been overstating sponsorship sponsorship revenue and failed to
[00:13:47] to co-operate in the investigation. Don't want it to happen. happen. I think that they should
[00:13:50] should still be able to play. I think think it's a disgrace. It was big
[00:13:54] big news and it was something that that you thought we've not seen the
[00:13:58] the end of this. In a forthright forthright statement, city said they
[00:14:02] they were disappointed but not surprised surprised and condemned what they
[00:14:05] they called a prejudicial process, process, immediately appealing via
[00:14:08] via the Court of Arbitration for
[00:14:09] for Sport. Confidence in the club club 100%, and I'm pretty sure we
[00:14:13] we are going to defend our position.
[00:14:15] position. So when someone believes
[00:14:18] believes he is right, he has to fight
[00:14:19] fight until the end and no matter
[00:14:23] matter what and that is, I think think the club is going to do. A
[00:14:26] A few months later they were successful. successful. The ban overturned. CAS
[00:14:29] CAS had ruled that the charges relating
[00:14:32] relating to Etisalat's sponsorship sponsorship were time barred, dismissed
[00:14:35] dismissed because they were more more than five years old when it
[00:14:37] it came to Etihad. The panel was was not comfortably satisfied that
[00:14:41] that city had disguised owner funding funding as sponsorship revenue from
[00:14:45] from the airline. What we saw at
[00:14:47] at CAS was that they weren't sufficiently sufficiently comfortable to conclude
[00:14:50] conclude that, beyond reasonable reasonable doubt, Manchester City City were indeed guilty of those
[00:14:54] those charges. City were found to to have failed to co-operate with
[00:14:58] with the investigation, but the initial initial £25 million fine was reduced
[00:15:01] reduced to 8 million. The news going going down badly with some of city's
[00:15:05] city's opponents. It's a disgraceful
[00:15:08] disgraceful decision. I don't think think it was a good day for football.
[00:15:11] football. I've been loyal for 45
[00:15:13] 45 years. It's a cliche to say, at
[00:15:17] at which point sometimes we have
[00:15:19] have to be very surprised by some
[00:15:22] some decision ruled absolutely against
[00:15:25] against all good sense. For more
[00:15:27] more than two years the case seemed seemed to go quiet, city winning
[00:15:31] winning further Premier League titles
[00:15:33] titles in 2021 and 2022. But behind
[00:15:35] behind the scenes, the Premier League League was investigating whether
[00:15:38] whether the club had breached its its profit and sustainability rules
[00:15:42] rules or PSR, which, like FFP limited
[00:15:45] limited losses. You've got the Premier Premier League sitting, waiting.
[00:15:49] waiting. Considering its position position in the domestic game. Hearing
[00:15:53] Hearing all of these allegations allegations about things that are are happening at a leading domestic
[00:15:57] domestic elite club, how could they
[00:15:59] they not be interested and pursue
[00:16:02] pursue their own investigation. And
[00:16:05] And then in February 2023 came a a sensational twist. The Premier
[00:16:08] Premier League has charged Manchester Manchester City with more than 100
[00:16:12] 100 breaches of its financial rules. It was an amazing moment, moment, I think, and one that you
[00:16:16] you thought actually maybe these these regulatory bodies are getting getting their act together and are
[00:16:19] are going to try and implement their their rules properly. City faced
[00:16:23] faced a catalogue of alleged breaches
[00:16:25] breaches of the Premier League rule
[00:16:28] rule book 54 charges over a failure failure to provide accurate financial
[00:16:31] financial information across nine nine seasons and 14 more over a failure
[00:16:35] failure to provide accurate details details for player and manager payments
[00:16:38] payments over the same period. They They were also accused of 12 counts
[00:16:41] counts of failing to comply with with both Uefa and Premier League
[00:16:45] League financial rules. And finally, finally, 35 charges of failing to
[00:16:49] to co-operate with the Premier League's League's investigation. I thought
[00:16:52] thought it was seismic. The sheer sheer number of charges that were
[00:16:56] were brought, the sheer number of of categories of charges that were
[00:16:59] were brought. The breadth of the
[00:17:02] the allegations was very significant significant indeed. These independent independent commissions have got
[00:17:06] got a. Huge continuum of different different sanctions. They will range
[00:17:10] range from a very moderate, small small fine all the way through to
[00:17:13] to points deductions and ultimately
[00:17:16] ultimately expulsion from competitions. competitions. Last season, a former
[00:17:19] former financial adviser to city
[00:17:20] city told us what was at stake. The
[00:17:23] The allegations made against city
[00:17:25] city couldn't be more serious. Wholesale
[00:17:27] Wholesale false accounting over ten
[00:17:30] ten years or even more clearly, if
[00:17:33] if that is proven against Manchester Manchester City, that would be a
[00:17:37] a momentous moment in English football.
[00:17:40] football. Still denying all the allegations, allegations, city said they were
[00:17:43] were surprised by the charges and and supported by what they called
[00:17:46] called a body of irrefutable evidence.
[00:17:48] evidence. The manager then giving giving me his reaction. How confident
[00:17:51] confident are you that you have been been told everything? Has it in any
[00:17:54] any way affected your belief in the the club? My first thought is that
[00:17:58] that we have already been condemned condemned so like it happened, what's
[00:18:02] what's happened right now, these these weeks after Monday, it's happened happened the same. Would happen in
[00:18:06] in Uefa. The club proved that we're
[00:18:09] we're completely innocent. I said said to them what happened? So Pep,
[00:18:13] Pep, we did nothing wrong. We prove
[00:18:16] prove it now it's the same case.
[00:18:21] case. Burmester. Just four months
[00:18:24] months later in front of owner Sheikh Sheikh Mansour and his brother, the
[00:18:28] the President of the UAE city enjoyed
[00:18:30] enjoyed their finest hour. The treble
[00:18:33] treble winners, Manchester City. City. Winning the Champions League
[00:18:37] League for the first time and completing
[00:18:39] completing a remarkable treble. But
[00:18:43] But a shadow now hung over how city
[00:18:46] city had assembled their title winning winning sides and the journey that
[00:18:49] that they'd been on. I think it is
[00:18:53] is the most remarkable turnaround turnaround in probably in English
[00:18:55] English sport, certainly in English
[00:18:58] English football. The third level
[00:19:01] level of English football to world world champions and treble holders.
[00:19:04] holders. There's never been a rise rise like that. I think it's unique
[00:19:07] unique and I sincerely hope it is is not tarnished by any of these
[00:19:11] these problems. Some rivals questioned questioned whether they may have
[00:19:15] have been cheated out of trophies, trophies, even hinting at the prospect
[00:19:19] prospect of retrospective justice.
[00:19:20] justice. We finished second in the
[00:19:24] the Premier League. I think we still
[00:19:26] still have a chance to win that league
[00:19:28] league because maybe they punish punish Man City with points and maybe
[00:19:32] maybe we win that league and I have
[00:19:34] have to pay me the bonus and give
[00:19:36] give me the medal. The Premier League,
[00:19:39] League, we're going nowhere. The The Premier League, meanwhile, was
[00:19:41] was showing it was serious about about upholding its PSR rules. Both
[00:19:45] Both Everton and Nottingham Forest Forest docked points for breaching
[00:19:48] breaching the regulations. I think think the outcome for Everton, luckily
[00:19:52] luckily the outcome for Nottingham Nottingham Forest was hugely worrying
[00:19:55] worrying and concerning for both both Manchester City as a football football club and the executives,
[00:19:59] executives, but also the fans that that that go in their thousands on
[00:20:03] on a Saturday afternoon because we
[00:20:05] we were starting to see the increase
[00:20:07] increase in pace and the appetite appetite by the Premier League to
[00:20:10] to start to sanction its own clubs. clubs. Sport should be decided on
[00:20:13] on the field of play. And increasingly
[00:20:16] increasingly we are seeing sporting sporting outcomes, relegations, promotions,
[00:20:19] promotions, financial rewards for
[00:20:21] for positions in league tables being being determined by lawyers sitting
[00:20:25] sitting in darkened rooms and members members of panels. Is that regrettable?
[00:20:28] regrettable? I think it is. The Manchester Manchester City case goes to the
[00:20:32] the heart of what's going wrong in in the European football. Manchester
[00:20:35] Manchester City has become the pretty pretty much the national team of
[00:20:37] of Abu Dhabi, but this way they.
[00:20:40] they. They can control their image image and their reputation in the
[00:20:43] the Western world. It's a huge matter
[00:20:45] matter to see this Sportswashing
[00:20:48] Sportswashing take, take shape and
[00:20:49] and take effect. City insist that
[00:20:53] that growth not Sportswashing lies lies behind Abu Dhabi's ownership
[00:20:56] ownership and can point to a decade decade of profits along with major
[00:20:59] major investment in the club's infrastructure
[00:21:01] infrastructure and the surrounding surrounding area. Last summer, with
[00:21:05] with city having won a record fourth fourth consecutive Premier League
[00:21:08] League title, their chairman addressed addressed the issue during an in-house
[00:21:11] in-house interview. Are. Of course course it's frustrating. I think
[00:21:15] think the reference is always frustrating
[00:21:18] frustrating having it being talked talked about the way it's being talked talked about. I can feel, of course,
[00:21:22] course, for our fan base, for everyone everyone associated with the club
[00:21:26] club to have, you know, these charges charges constantly referenced. I
[00:21:29] I think we as a club have to respect respect that. There's a process that
[00:21:33] that that we have to go through and and we're going through it. It's
[00:21:36] It's taking longer than what anyone anyone hoped for, but it is what
[00:21:40] what it is. Let's be judged by the
[00:21:42] the facts and not by claims and counterclaims.
[00:21:46] counterclaims. But could geopolitics geopolitics as well as just football
[00:21:50] football be at stake here? After After all, the UAE is a major investor
[00:21:53] investor in the UK with billions billions of pounds worth of trade
[00:21:56] trade between the two countries. countries. I think. The current government
[00:22:00] government and previous governments governments would have been absolutely
[00:22:03] absolutely delighted if the Premier Premier League had decided not to
[00:22:06] to prosecute, because there will
[00:22:08] will have been diplomatic communications communications between the two parties.
[00:22:12] parties. If you are buying goods goods from the UK, you also have
[00:22:15] have a choice of many other markets
[00:22:16] markets from which you could be buying
[00:22:19] buying from and I suspect there will will have been people reminding the
[00:22:23] the UK government you ought to be
[00:22:25] be aware of this. But in August 2024,
[00:22:28] 2024, the man who runs the Premier Premier League told me they had no
[00:22:31] no choice. We have a fantastic football
[00:22:34] football competition. We have a big, big, thick rule book and part of
[00:22:37] of any sporting competition is is
[00:22:40] is a commitment, a central commitment commitment to uphold those rules.
[00:22:42] rules. And whilst it does create create difficulties, there is no no happy alternative to enforcing
[00:22:46] enforcing rules. It is time now I I think, to for it to resolve itself.
[00:22:50] itself. It's been going on for a
[00:22:51] a number of years and I think it's
[00:22:55] it's self-evident that the case needs needs to be heard and answered. Are
[00:22:58] Are you confident. That moment finally
[00:23:01] finally came in September 2024, when when city's lawyers arrived for the
[00:23:04] the start of a hearing that promised promised to define the future landscape
[00:23:07] landscape of the English game. The
[00:23:09] The Premier League's ability to uphold uphold its own regulations was on
[00:23:13] on the line. We believe we have not
[00:23:16] not nothing anything wrong, so we we go to independent panel and we
[00:23:20] we are going to wait. As the season
[00:23:23] season continued, city's fans, meanwhile,
[00:23:25] meanwhile, faced a nervous wait.
[00:23:28] wait. We think. It's. Gone on too too long now. We think it should
[00:23:31] should have been dealt with and dealt dealt with and gone. A lot of fans fans from other Premier League sides,
[00:23:35] sides, they're quite negative about about it so you can't avoid it. It's
[00:23:38] It's a natural instinct to be concerned concerned about it. If we were relegated
[00:23:41] relegated we'd be straight back up up again. Got no doubt about that.
[00:23:44] that. I think there is a strong possibility
[00:23:47] possibility that many clubs will will seek compensation from Manchester
[00:23:50] Manchester City, and I think the the concern for city would be if
[00:23:53] if these charges are proven. Is the
[00:23:55] the number of clubs that may be able
[00:23:59] able to sufficiently build a case
[00:24:02] case to get them at least a realistic
[00:24:04] realistic prospect of making a claim? claim? One of the unfortunate things
[00:24:07] things about this case is the hostility
[00:24:11] hostility between the Premier League
[00:24:12] League and Manchester City has become
[00:24:15] become so entrenched that it's difficult
[00:24:17] difficult to see a sort of nice,
[00:24:19] nice, easy way out. There is a fear
[00:24:21] fear from many different sides. I
[00:24:24] I think that the extent of the kind
[00:24:26] kind of civil war going on in the
[00:24:28] the Premier League really needs to
[00:24:30] to finish soon because it's not sustainable.
[00:24:33] sustainable. Finally, football appears appears to have one of its biggest
[00:24:36] biggest ever results, but with a a sanction still to be decided and
[00:24:40] and city appealing, the
[00:28:17] MUSIC
[00:28:27] What new industries are created? Because what we've seen seen throughout history is new industries
[00:28:31] industries are created, and it's it's that process that actually opens
[00:28:34] opens new doors. That was the that that was the mandate from Prime Minister
[00:28:38] Minister Starmer. He wants the UK
[00:28:39] UK to be an AI superpower. He recognises
[00:28:43] recognises that the ingredients are are all right here. Putting the customer
[00:28:46] customer at the centre of everything everything we do. I really think
[00:28:49] think that's how the company started. started. But I think we lost our
[00:28:52] our focus because we got a little
[00:28:54] little too distracted on efficiency
[00:28:58] efficiency and technology. AI is
[00:29:00] is real AI and total pay off just
[00:29:03] just like cars in total pay off TV TV and total paid off. But most people
[00:29:06] people involved that didn't do well. well. The revolutionary you know,
[00:29:10] know, time upon us and I think, you you know, all industries will be
[00:29:14] be adopting AI in some shape or form.
[00:29:22] form. I was here at the very first first protest, the Cockroach Janta
[00:29:25] Janta Party had organised about a a month ago. And this is so much
[00:29:28] much bigger. Been driving towards towards the site of this wildfire,
[00:29:32] wildfire, but we've just stopped stopped at the side of the road here here because of what we saw out the
[00:29:36] the window. This man has been pulled pulled out successfully. It's taken
[00:29:40] taken a mammoth mammoth rescue effort. effort. This morning. You get very
[00:29:43] very little sense of the terrible terrible scenes that were witnessed
[00:29:45] witnessed here last night there when
[00:29:47] when the story breaks, BBC News.
[00:30:13] Live from London. This is BBC News. The UK's Defence Secretary
[00:30:17] Secretary calls the attack on Riyadh's
[00:30:19] Riyadh's international airport dangerous dangerous escalation and contemptible
[00:30:22] contemptible after 12 people are are killed, Saudi authorities blame
[00:30:25] blame the Houthis for the attack.
[00:30:27] attack. There isn't a military solution solution to this conflict. There
[00:30:31] There was a truce. We need to see see a diplomatic solution and Saudi
[00:30:35] Saudi needs to do that from a position position of strength after President.
[00:30:38] President. Trump accused him of prolonging prolonging the war. Volodymyr Zelensky
[00:30:42] Zelensky says Ukraine will stop striking striking Russian oil refineries if
[00:30:45] if Russia stops hitting Ukrainian
[00:30:48] Ukrainian energy infrastructure. infrastructure. An investigation investigation continues after a man
[00:30:52] man who entered the tiger enclosure enclosure of Yorkshire Wildlife Park
[00:30:55] Park in northern England was mauled
[00:30:57] mauled to death. Flash floods in in central Nepal