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00:00:01you are. Business on BBC News. Make
00:00:01Make the connection. MUSIC
00:00:12MUSIC After After one of football's biggest disciplinary disciplinary rulings, Manchester
00:00:16Manchester City have been found guilty
00:00:18guilty of most of the 115 charges
00:00:20charges against them. Now on BBC BBC News, with an appeal looming,
00:00:23looming, we trace how the case unfolded.
00:00:28unfolded. Over the past. Decade, Decade, Manchester City have enjoyed
00:00:31enjoyed an era of unprecedented success.
00:00:34success. The only English club in in history to have won the top division
00:00:37division title four times in a row.
00:00:39row. But for years now a cloud has
00:00:41has hung above the Etihad. City accused accused of a catalogue of rule violations
00:00:45violations by the very competition competition they dominated for so
00:00:48so long. In September 2026, in a
00:00:51a decision that shocked the sporting sporting world, it was announced
00:00:54announced city had been found guilty
00:00:56guilty of all the charges they faced faced relating to serious breaches
00:00:59breaches of the Premier League's League's financial regulations from
00:01:03from 2009 through to 2018. In a damning
00:01:06damning ruling, a commission laying laying bare sham contracts with commercial
00:01:10commercial partners with income hugely hugely overstated a concerted campaign
00:01:14campaign to falsify and a disguised disguised funding scheme used to
00:01:17to artificially inflate the club's
00:01:19club's revenues and reduce its costs
00:01:22costs by £830 million. A number of
00:01:23of club witnesses giving untrue and
00:01:26and dishonest evidence. City were were found to have disguised money
00:01:30money from its owner, an investment investment company belonging to Sheikh
00:01:32Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi's Dhabi's ruling family, as sponsorship
00:01:36sponsorship fees in order to comply comply with spending rules. The commission
00:01:39commission said the club had filed filed misstated accounts and clearly
00:01:43clearly intended to circumvent the the rules. Mr Soriano. Hello, sir.
00:01:46sir. Can I just ask about the guilty guilty charges? How you feel about
00:01:49about that? Can you have any message message for your fans who are concerned
00:01:53concerned about the club being called called cheats? Before the news broke,
00:01:55broke, I tracked down city's chief chief executive here at a meeting
00:01:59meeting of club officials in Copenhagen. Copenhagen. You can prove your innocence.
00:02:02innocence. The club at all. Any message message for the fans who are concerned?
00:02:06concerned? Thank you. Later, city
00:02:08city said in a statement it was disappointed disappointed and surprised the club
00:02:12club is innocent of the accusations accusations made by the Premier League
00:02:15League and a comprehensive body of of irrefutable evidence exists in
00:02:18in support of all of its positions positions relating to this case.
00:02:21case. Manchester City will now pursue pursue the appeal avenues open to
00:02:24to it on the basis that the opinion opinion contains clear material errors
00:02:28errors of law, principle and fact
00:02:30fact and is unsafe. So what did the the UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham
00:02:34Burnham make of the ruling? Here Here he is talking to the BBC's political
00:02:37political editor, Chris Mason. Now
00:02:39Now I am not privy to all of. The
00:02:43The points of contest contestation contestation between city and the
00:02:47the Premier League. They deny any any wrongdoing but on the face of
00:02:49of it they've got some big questions questions to answer. Yeah, but I
00:02:52I remember people proclaiming Everton
00:02:55Everton guilty at the time and you you know, with hindsight, I think
00:02:58think more people would say that that wasn't fair. The way that was
00:03:01was handled. The regeneration of of parts of Manchester were paid
00:03:05paid for by the club and the regeneration regeneration that went on. The money money from the United Arab Emirates.
00:03:08Emirates. Are you confident that that all your dealings with them them when you were mayor will stand
00:03:12stand up to scrutiny? Oh, indeed
00:03:15indeed I do actually thank the City
00:03:17City Football Group and the wider wider ownership for the money that
00:03:20that they didn't just put into the the Etihad and the campus around
00:03:23around it, but also into the city. city. But yes of course. Do you worry
00:03:27worry they might sell up? Well I
00:03:30I would be really concerned to lose lose them. They've been such a huge
00:03:34huge partner in the building of modern modern Manchester. Have you had any
00:03:38any representations from the United United Arab Emirates government around
00:03:41around all of this? They are a big big a big ally of the UK. I am not
00:03:45not getting directly involved in, in, in the process. I mean would
00:03:47would you take a call if I have not
00:03:50not spoken to anybody directly about about that? And would you say if
00:03:53if they wanted to have that conversation conversation that that wouldn't be be appropriate? Well, I would obviously
00:03:57obviously say this has to be a process
00:04:01process undertaken independently independently by the Premier League. League. Do you see a dilemma between
00:04:04between the values of the game being being upheld with a potentially massive
00:04:08massive punishment coming Manchester Manchester City's way and damage
00:04:11damage to a key UK trading relationship? relationship? Well, there's a lot
00:04:14lot at stake, let's be honest about about that for the football club,
00:04:18club, for city supporters, for the the City of Manchester. So how did
00:04:22did one of football's biggest scandals
00:04:26scandals unfold? The Premier League League has charged Manchester City
00:04:29City with more than 100 serious breaches
00:04:32breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations.
00:04:34regulations. Basically inflated sponsorship sponsorship Keith Doyle payments payments to other people. We have
00:04:38have a big thick rule book and part part of any sporting competition
00:04:41competition is a commitment to uphold uphold those rules. So Manchester Manchester City were effectively
00:04:45effectively being accused of cheating. cheating. Mr Soriano, can we just
00:04:48just ask you about. I have no comment.
00:04:51comment. City, who have always denied denied any wrongdoing. Everybody's
00:04:54Everybody's innocent and guilty is is proven. Let's be judged by the
00:04:57the facts and not by claims and counterclaims.
00:05:01counterclaims. The fans. The players, players, the management staff. It's
00:05:04It's been difficult. I think it would would be a sporting disaster if that
00:05:07that club was found guilty. In the the end, I think you'd struggle. struggle. To find a sports lawyer
00:05:11lawyer who would say in living memory memory there's been anything bigger
00:05:14bigger than this. For more than a
00:05:17a decade, I've been covering a story story that culminated in one of sport's
00:05:20sport's biggest ever legal disputes, disputes, one that pitted the Premier
00:05:24Premier League, one of the country's country's highest profile exports
00:05:27exports against its serial champions, champions, Manchester City. So how
00:05:30how did we get here and what's at at stake for one of English football's
00:05:33football's most historic clubs?
00:05:50It's Sergio. Aguero.
00:06:05The origins of this saga began
00:06:08back in 2008, when city were transformed transformed into one of the world's
00:06:11world's richest clubs after being being bought by Sheikh Mansour, a
00:06:15a billionaire member of Abu Dhabi's Dhabi's ruling family and the deputy
00:06:18deputy Prime Minister of the United United Arab Emirates. His sovereign
00:06:21sovereign wealth helped to entice entice some of the world's best players.
00:06:24players. The first of eight Premier Premier League titles secured in
00:06:28in 2012. There's a new name on the
00:06:30the trophy. That name is Manchester
00:06:32Manchester City. But the club's commercial
00:06:35commercial deals were raising eyebrows. eyebrows. They were signing sponsorship
00:06:38sponsorship deals that were. Hugely Hugely significant, not just in the
00:06:41the context of Manchester City but but also in the context of Premier
00:06:45Premier League sponsorship rights rights or commercial opportunities.
00:06:48opportunities. So I always used to to look at the example of Arsenal Arsenal when they signed up with
00:06:52with the Emirates around about £20 £20 million a year. They of course course moved into a new stadium.
00:06:56stadium. But Arsenal was a club that that had qualified for the Champions
00:06:59Champions League. I think nine out out of the previous ten seasons. seasons. They of course won the Premier
00:07:03Premier League. Then here you have
00:07:05have this new Manchester City team team that are signing sponsorship
00:07:08sponsorship deals with Etihad that that were worth almost twice, perhaps
00:07:11perhaps a little bit more than twice
00:07:13twice the same value that Arsenal
00:07:15Arsenal were generating. In 2014. 2014. City was sanctioned by Uefa
00:07:19Uefa for breaching financial Fair Fair Play rules that limited club's
00:07:23club's losses to deter overspending. overspending. The critics felt FFP,
00:07:26FFP, as it was known, protected Europe's Europe's more established clubs.
00:07:29clubs. But city were handed a heavy
00:07:31heavy fine. I think we saw the early early signs of trouble back then
00:07:35then in a decade or decade ago that
00:07:38that suggested that there may be be further issues were Manchester
00:07:41Manchester City not to comply with with those Financial Fair Play regulations, regulations, which of course themselves
00:07:45themselves were still fairly in their their infancy at the time. And then
00:07:49then four years later, as their era era of dominance gathered pace, the.
00:07:53the. Sky is blue, the ribbons are
00:07:54are blue. Manchester City champions
00:07:59champions again allegations emerged
00:08:00emerged for the first time. Claims
00:08:07Claims by a German news magazine magazine that Manchester City tried
00:08:10tried to cheat financial Fair play
00:08:12play rules. Der Spiegel had published
00:08:15published details from leaked documents, documents, including emails sent
00:08:18sent between top city executives.
00:08:23executives. Passengers on Etihad Etihad Airways Flight 15 to Manchester.
00:08:26Manchester. The magazine claimed claimed these documents showed the
00:08:29the club had effectively deceived deceived Uefa by artificially inflating
00:08:33inflating sponsorship revenue from from state owned airline Etihad and
00:08:37and state controlled telecoms firm
00:08:39firm Etisalat. One email, for instance,
00:08:42instance, appeared to show that of
00:08:44of the £67 million annual sponsorship
00:08:46sponsorship by Etihad, only £8 million
00:08:49million in 2015-16 was funded directly directly by the airline, with the
00:08:52the rest coming from the club's holding holding company. Sheikh Mansour's
00:08:56Mansour's investment vehicle Abu
00:08:58Abu Dhabi United Group, one of the the journalists who sifted through
00:09:02through the files, told us what it it was like to be at the heart of
00:09:05of such a big story. It was very
00:09:08very much a fascinating feeling of of like, like a child in a candy
00:09:11candy store. Like if you're a football football fan, if you're a sports sports journalist, it was amazing
00:09:15amazing to see the actual documents, documents, to see those emails where
00:09:18where things are like negotiated negotiated and to like get a real
00:09:21real look behind the curtain, how how things work. Manchester City
00:09:24City have been accused of misrepresentation,
00:09:27misrepresentation, effectively financial financial fraud in the shape of,
00:09:30of, first of all, artificially inflating inflating the money coming into the
00:09:34the club, taking money from the owner owner and pretending it was money
00:09:37money from sponsors and that went went into their money in column.
00:09:41column. They were. Being accused
00:09:43accused of stepping outside the regulations, regulations, which meant they were
00:09:47were getting an unfair advantage. advantage. City and the companies
00:09:51companies involved denied wrongdoing, wrongdoing, but there then followed
00:09:53followed further allegations of misreporting misreporting financial information
00:09:56information centred on documents documents that claimed to show secret
00:09:59secret payments to former manager manager Roberto Mancini. The contracts
00:10:03contracts appeared to show an alleged alleged payment of £1.75 million
00:10:07million to the Italian for consultancy consultancy services from Al Jazeera
00:10:11Jazeera and Abu Dhabi Club, owned owned by Sheikh Mansour. More than
00:10:15than the basic salary of 1.45 million
00:10:17million that Mancini was being paid paid by city themselves, he denied
00:10:21denied any wrongdoing. No, I haven't.
00:10:24haven't. Been contacted or. Called Called up by anyone and I don't think
00:10:27think anyone will contact me. I have
00:10:30have paid my taxes. It's all above above board so I don't think anyone anyone will be in
00:11:34And is Europe ready? The security security brief live with an audience
00:11:38audience here on BBC News. If you
00:11:48you can't allegedly pay some of your your employees through a different different company, that will reduce
00:11:52reduce your expenditure, which ultimately ultimately then increases your profit
00:11:55profit and helps you with your financial financial Fair Play regulations.
00:11:58regulations. City. Who have always always denied that their state owned,
00:12:02owned, said that the emails had been been obtained illegally and were,
00:12:05were, they said, an attempt to damage
00:12:07damage the club's reputation. Its
00:12:10Its chief executive refusing to comment
00:12:11comment when I approached him at
00:12:14at the time Soriano. We just ask ask you about the Spiegel and the
00:12:17the Football League story. What do do you have to say about that? Thank
00:12:20Thank you sir, thank you. I have
00:12:22have no comment. The source of the
00:12:26the documents had been Portuguese Portuguese computer hacker Rui Pinto,
00:12:29Pinto, the man behind the Football Football Leaks website which published
00:12:32published confidential transfer and and contract information despite
00:12:35despite always claiming he was a a whistleblower, he was subsequently
00:12:38subsequently handed a suspended sentence sentence by a court in Lisbon after
00:12:41after it found him guilty on counts counts of attempted extortion, illegal
00:12:45illegal access to data and a breach
00:12:47breach of correspondence. Back in
00:12:50in 2019, however, the leaks led to to a Uefa investigation. Five years
00:12:54years on at his office in Paris, Paris, Pinto's lawyer told me that
00:12:57that his client should be seen as
00:12:59as a hero. Football should be grateful
00:13:02grateful to him. Tax administration administration should be grateful
00:13:05grateful to him. I hope that one one day someone will shake the. Hand
00:13:09Hand of Pinto and say thanks to.
00:13:11to. You. Back in 2019, city insisted
00:13:15insisted the accusations swirling swirling around the club were entirely entirely false. But the following
00:13:18following year came a bombshell.
00:13:27bombshell. The Premier League champions, champions, Manchester City, have have been banned from the Champions
00:13:30Champions League for two seasons seasons by European football's governing
00:13:33governing body Uefa. City had been
00:13:36been found guilty by Uefa club financial financial control body of serious
00:13:40serious breaches of the rules. An An independent panel concluding they'd
00:13:44they'd been overstating sponsorship sponsorship revenue and failed to
00:13:47to co-operate in the investigation. Don't want it to happen. happen. I think that they should
00:13:50should still be able to play. I think think it's a disgrace. It was big
00:13:54big news and it was something that that you thought we've not seen the
00:13:58the end of this. In a forthright forthright statement, city said they
00:14:02they were disappointed but not surprised surprised and condemned what they
00:14:05they called a prejudicial process, process, immediately appealing via
00:14:08via the Court of Arbitration for
00:14:09for Sport. Confidence in the club club 100%, and I'm pretty sure we
00:14:13we are going to defend our position.
00:14:15position. So when someone believes
00:14:18believes he is right, he has to fight
00:14:19fight until the end and no matter
00:14:23matter what and that is, I think think the club is going to do. A
00:14:26A few months later they were successful. successful. The ban overturned. CAS
00:14:29CAS had ruled that the charges relating
00:14:32relating to Etisalat's sponsorship sponsorship were time barred, dismissed
00:14:35dismissed because they were more more than five years old when it
00:14:37it came to Etihad. The panel was was not comfortably satisfied that
00:14:41that city had disguised owner funding funding as sponsorship revenue from
00:14:45from the airline. What we saw at
00:14:47at CAS was that they weren't sufficiently sufficiently comfortable to conclude
00:14:50conclude that, beyond reasonable reasonable doubt, Manchester City City were indeed guilty of those
00:14:54those charges. City were found to to have failed to co-operate with
00:14:58with the investigation, but the initial initial £25 million fine was reduced
00:15:01reduced to 8 million. The news going going down badly with some of city's
00:15:05city's opponents. It's a disgraceful
00:15:08disgraceful decision. I don't think think it was a good day for football.
00:15:11football. I've been loyal for 45
00:15:1345 years. It's a cliche to say, at
00:15:17at which point sometimes we have
00:15:19have to be very surprised by some
00:15:22some decision ruled absolutely against
00:15:25against all good sense. For more
00:15:27more than two years the case seemed seemed to go quiet, city winning
00:15:31winning further Premier League titles
00:15:33titles in 2021 and 2022. But behind
00:15:35behind the scenes, the Premier League League was investigating whether
00:15:38whether the club had breached its its profit and sustainability rules
00:15:42rules or PSR, which, like FFP limited
00:15:45limited losses. You've got the Premier Premier League sitting, waiting.
00:15:49waiting. Considering its position position in the domestic game. Hearing
00:15:53Hearing all of these allegations allegations about things that are are happening at a leading domestic
00:15:57domestic elite club, how could they
00:15:59they not be interested and pursue
00:16:02pursue their own investigation. And
00:16:05And then in February 2023 came a a sensational twist. The Premier
00:16:08Premier League has charged Manchester Manchester City with more than 100
00:16:12100 breaches of its financial rules. It was an amazing moment, moment, I think, and one that you
00:16:16you thought actually maybe these these regulatory bodies are getting getting their act together and are
00:16:19are going to try and implement their their rules properly. City faced
00:16:23faced a catalogue of alleged breaches
00:16:25breaches of the Premier League rule
00:16:28rule book 54 charges over a failure failure to provide accurate financial
00:16:31financial information across nine nine seasons and 14 more over a failure
00:16:35failure to provide accurate details details for player and manager payments
00:16:38payments over the same period. They They were also accused of 12 counts
00:16:41counts of failing to comply with with both Uefa and Premier League
00:16:45League financial rules. And finally, finally, 35 charges of failing to
00:16:49to co-operate with the Premier League's League's investigation. I thought
00:16:52thought it was seismic. The sheer sheer number of charges that were
00:16:56were brought, the sheer number of of categories of charges that were
00:16:59were brought. The breadth of the
00:17:02the allegations was very significant significant indeed. These independent independent commissions have got
00:17:06got a. Huge continuum of different different sanctions. They will range
00:17:10range from a very moderate, small small fine all the way through to
00:17:13to points deductions and ultimately
00:17:16ultimately expulsion from competitions. competitions. Last season, a former
00:17:19former financial adviser to city
00:17:20city told us what was at stake. The
00:17:23The allegations made against city
00:17:25city couldn't be more serious. Wholesale
00:17:27Wholesale false accounting over ten
00:17:30ten years or even more clearly, if
00:17:33if that is proven against Manchester Manchester City, that would be a
00:17:37a momentous moment in English football.
00:17:40football. Still denying all the allegations, allegations, city said they were
00:17:43were surprised by the charges and and supported by what they called
00:17:46called a body of irrefutable evidence.
00:17:48evidence. The manager then giving giving me his reaction. How confident
00:17:51confident are you that you have been been told everything? Has it in any
00:17:54any way affected your belief in the the club? My first thought is that
00:17:58that we have already been condemned condemned so like it happened, what's
00:18:02what's happened right now, these these weeks after Monday, it's happened happened the same. Would happen in
00:18:06in Uefa. The club proved that we're
00:18:09we're completely innocent. I said said to them what happened? So Pep,
00:18:13Pep, we did nothing wrong. We prove
00:18:16prove it now it's the same case.
00:18:21case. Burmester. Just four months
00:18:24months later in front of owner Sheikh Sheikh Mansour and his brother, the
00:18:28the President of the UAE city enjoyed
00:18:30enjoyed their finest hour. The treble
00:18:33treble winners, Manchester City. City. Winning the Champions League
00:18:37League for the first time and completing
00:18:39completing a remarkable treble. But
00:18:43But a shadow now hung over how city
00:18:46city had assembled their title winning winning sides and the journey that
00:18:49that they'd been on. I think it is
00:18:53is the most remarkable turnaround turnaround in probably in English
00:18:55English sport, certainly in English
00:18:58English football. The third level
00:19:01level of English football to world world champions and treble holders.
00:19:04holders. There's never been a rise rise like that. I think it's unique
00:19:07unique and I sincerely hope it is is not tarnished by any of these
00:19:11these problems. Some rivals questioned questioned whether they may have
00:19:15have been cheated out of trophies, trophies, even hinting at the prospect
00:19:19prospect of retrospective justice.
00:19:20justice. We finished second in the
00:19:24the Premier League. I think we still
00:19:26still have a chance to win that league
00:19:28league because maybe they punish punish Man City with points and maybe
00:19:32maybe we win that league and I have
00:19:34have to pay me the bonus and give
00:19:36give me the medal. The Premier League,
00:19:39League, we're going nowhere. The The Premier League, meanwhile, was
00:19:41was showing it was serious about about upholding its PSR rules. Both
00:19:45Both Everton and Nottingham Forest Forest docked points for breaching
00:19:48breaching the regulations. I think think the outcome for Everton, luckily
00:19:52luckily the outcome for Nottingham Nottingham Forest was hugely worrying
00:19:55worrying and concerning for both both Manchester City as a football football club and the executives,
00:19:59executives, but also the fans that that that go in their thousands on
00:20:03on a Saturday afternoon because we
00:20:05we were starting to see the increase
00:20:07increase in pace and the appetite appetite by the Premier League to
00:20:10to start to sanction its own clubs. clubs. Sport should be decided on
00:20:13on the field of play. And increasingly
00:20:16increasingly we are seeing sporting sporting outcomes, relegations, promotions,
00:20:19promotions, financial rewards for
00:20:21for positions in league tables being being determined by lawyers sitting
00:20:25sitting in darkened rooms and members members of panels. Is that regrettable?
00:20:28regrettable? I think it is. The Manchester Manchester City case goes to the
00:20:32the heart of what's going wrong in in the European football. Manchester
00:20:35Manchester City has become the pretty pretty much the national team of
00:20:37of Abu Dhabi, but this way they.
00:20:40they. They can control their image image and their reputation in the
00:20:43the Western world. It's a huge matter
00:20:45matter to see this Sportswashing
00:20:48Sportswashing take, take shape and
00:20:49and take effect. City insist that
00:20:53that growth not Sportswashing lies lies behind Abu Dhabi's ownership
00:20:56ownership and can point to a decade decade of profits along with major
00:20:59major investment in the club's infrastructure
00:21:01infrastructure and the surrounding surrounding area. Last summer, with
00:21:05with city having won a record fourth fourth consecutive Premier League
00:21:08League title, their chairman addressed addressed the issue during an in-house
00:21:11in-house interview. Are. Of course course it's frustrating. I think
00:21:15think the reference is always frustrating
00:21:18frustrating having it being talked talked about the way it's being talked talked about. I can feel, of course,
00:21:22course, for our fan base, for everyone everyone associated with the club
00:21:26club to have, you know, these charges charges constantly referenced. I
00:21:29I think we as a club have to respect respect that. There's a process that
00:21:33that that we have to go through and and we're going through it. It's
00:21:36It's taking longer than what anyone anyone hoped for, but it is what
00:21:40what it is. Let's be judged by the
00:21:42the facts and not by claims and counterclaims.
00:21:46counterclaims. But could geopolitics geopolitics as well as just football
00:21:50football be at stake here? After After all, the UAE is a major investor
00:21:53investor in the UK with billions billions of pounds worth of trade
00:21:56trade between the two countries. countries. I think. The current government
00:22:00government and previous governments governments would have been absolutely
00:22:03absolutely delighted if the Premier Premier League had decided not to
00:22:06to prosecute, because there will
00:22:08will have been diplomatic communications communications between the two parties.
00:22:12parties. If you are buying goods goods from the UK, you also have
00:22:15have a choice of many other markets
00:22:16markets from which you could be buying
00:22:19buying from and I suspect there will will have been people reminding the
00:22:23the UK government you ought to be
00:22:25be aware of this. But in August 2024,
00:22:282024, the man who runs the Premier Premier League told me they had no
00:22:31no choice. We have a fantastic football
00:22:34football competition. We have a big, big, thick rule book and part of
00:22:37of any sporting competition is is
00:22:40is a commitment, a central commitment commitment to uphold those rules.
00:22:42rules. And whilst it does create create difficulties, there is no no happy alternative to enforcing
00:22:46enforcing rules. It is time now I I think, to for it to resolve itself.
00:22:50itself. It's been going on for a
00:22:51a number of years and I think it's
00:22:55it's self-evident that the case needs needs to be heard and answered. Are
00:22:58Are you confident. That moment finally
00:23:01finally came in September 2024, when when city's lawyers arrived for the
00:23:04the start of a hearing that promised promised to define the future landscape
00:23:07landscape of the English game. The
00:23:09The Premier League's ability to uphold uphold its own regulations was on
00:23:13on the line. We believe we have not
00:23:16not nothing anything wrong, so we we go to independent panel and we
00:23:20we are going to wait. As the season
00:23:23season continued, city's fans, meanwhile,
00:23:25meanwhile, faced a nervous wait.
00:23:28wait. We think. It's. Gone on too too long now. We think it should
00:23:31should have been dealt with and dealt dealt with and gone. A lot of fans fans from other Premier League sides,
00:23:35sides, they're quite negative about about it so you can't avoid it. It's
00:23:38It's a natural instinct to be concerned concerned about it. If we were relegated
00:23:41relegated we'd be straight back up up again. Got no doubt about that.
00:23:44that. I think there is a strong possibility
00:23:47possibility that many clubs will will seek compensation from Manchester
00:23:50Manchester City, and I think the the concern for city would be if
00:23:53if these charges are proven. Is the
00:23:55the number of clubs that may be able
00:23:59able to sufficiently build a case
00:24:02case to get them at least a realistic
00:24:04realistic prospect of making a claim? claim? One of the unfortunate things
00:24:07things about this case is the hostility
00:24:11hostility between the Premier League
00:24:12League and Manchester City has become
00:24:15become so entrenched that it's difficult
00:24:17difficult to see a sort of nice,
00:24:19nice, easy way out. There is a fear
00:24:21fear from many different sides. I
00:24:24I think that the extent of the kind
00:24:26kind of civil war going on in the
00:24:28the Premier League really needs to
00:24:30to finish soon because it's not sustainable.
00:24:33sustainable. Finally, football appears appears to have one of its biggest
00:24:36biggest ever results, but with a a sanction still to be decided and
00:24:40and city appealing, the
00:28:17MUSIC
00:28:27What new industries are created? Because what we've seen seen throughout history is new industries
00:28:31industries are created, and it's it's that process that actually opens
00:28:34opens new doors. That was the that that was the mandate from Prime Minister
00:28:38Minister Starmer. He wants the UK
00:28:39UK to be an AI superpower. He recognises
00:28:43recognises that the ingredients are are all right here. Putting the customer
00:28:46customer at the centre of everything everything we do. I really think
00:28:49think that's how the company started. started. But I think we lost our
00:28:52our focus because we got a little
00:28:54little too distracted on efficiency
00:28:58efficiency and technology. AI is
00:29:00is real AI and total pay off just
00:29:03just like cars in total pay off TV TV and total paid off. But most people
00:29:06people involved that didn't do well. well. The revolutionary you know,
00:29:10know, time upon us and I think, you you know, all industries will be
00:29:14be adopting AI in some shape or form.
00:29:22form. I was here at the very first first protest, the Cockroach Janta
00:29:25Janta Party had organised about a a month ago. And this is so much
00:29:28much bigger. Been driving towards towards the site of this wildfire,
00:29:32wildfire, but we've just stopped stopped at the side of the road here here because of what we saw out the
00:29:36the window. This man has been pulled pulled out successfully. It's taken
00:29:40taken a mammoth mammoth rescue effort. effort. This morning. You get very
00:29:43very little sense of the terrible terrible scenes that were witnessed
00:29:45witnessed here last night there when
00:29:47when the story breaks, BBC News.
00:30:13Live from London. This is BBC News. The UK's Defence Secretary
00:30:17Secretary calls the attack on Riyadh's
00:30:19Riyadh's international airport dangerous dangerous escalation and contemptible
00:30:22contemptible after 12 people are are killed, Saudi authorities blame
00:30:25blame the Houthis for the attack.
00:30:27attack. There isn't a military solution solution to this conflict. There
00:30:31There was a truce. We need to see see a diplomatic solution and Saudi
00:30:35Saudi needs to do that from a position position of strength after President.
00:30:38President. Trump accused him of prolonging prolonging the war. Volodymyr Zelensky
00:30:42Zelensky says Ukraine will stop striking striking Russian oil refineries if
00:30:45if Russia stops hitting Ukrainian
00:30:48Ukrainian energy infrastructure. infrastructure. An investigation investigation continues after a man
00:30:52man who entered the tiger enclosure enclosure of Yorkshire Wildlife Park
00:30:55Park in northern England was mauled
00:30:57mauled to death. Flash floods in in central Nepal