For Manchester City fans, August has been full of reminders of the winding road the club has travelled over its long history.
This month marked the 100th anniversary of the club’s arrival at its former but much-loved Maine Road ground in Manchester, as well as the 20th anniversary of leaving Moss Side to move into what is now known as the Etihad Stadium.
The first match at the new home was a 2003 friendly against Barcelona, who mixed in different circles back then. The Spanish side were then (and now) European football royalty, while City were only about to start their second season back in the English top flight. Today, Barca and City are champions of their respective leagues and both clubs attend the same parties.
The end of August also marks the 15th anniversary of the takeover of the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group. The memorandum of understanding between UK Sports and Investments Group owned by Thaksin Shinawatra and ADUG was agreed on August 31, 2008 in Abu Dhabi.
The following day, a transfer deal was agreed with European giants Real Madrid to lure Brazil’s Robinho to City. It was a stunning piece of business that shook the football world and announced the arrival of the club on the European stage. Good results on the field of play would take a little longer to achieve, however.
Fifteen years later, the benefit of hindsight makes the purchase of the club look like a surefire investment, given the fact that the men’s team won an historic treble last season, culminating in winning the Uefa Champions League for the first time, and has already claimed the European Super Cup this term.
In 2023, there is blue sky and a collection of clubs looking at City as a target to aim at
When the story began in 2008, many fans might have hoped for the best for City, but few could have predicted that the club would turn into the trophy-winning machine that it has become under manager Pep Guardiola. He has guided the team to five Premier League titles in the past six years, as well as achieving that previously elusive European dream. A tilt at the Fifa Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia awaits Guardiola’s team at the end of this year.
Five men’s players made the PFA Team of the Year at an awards ceremony this week and Erling Haaland was recognised as the players’ player of the year, to add to the two individual awards the Norwegian superstar had already picked up from the Premier League and the football writers’ award he won at the end of last season. Three players for the club’s Women’s Super League team also made their PFA team of the year. Both individual and team honours are regularly won nowadays.
There is a tendency to view City’s rise into the top as if it was ordained, but the facts from 2008 paint a different story.
Commenting in Killing The Game, Daniel Slack-Smith’s 2018 book on the takeover, former chief executive Garry Cook, who left the club in 2011, said “everything was broken” at the organisation in the weeks before the takeover agreement was reached. City’s long-serving chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the scale of the task after the takeover was much greater than expected and there was a need to build “infrastructure, processes, systems and strategy” from scratch to support the club, which had endured a series of stumbles and mishaps in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.
The side’s return to the Premier League in 2002 and move into the new stadium in 2003 were seen as arrival points back then. There was a clear ceiling on further progression given the clubs that were ahead of them and the distance that needed to be travelled to catch up. In 2023, there is blue sky and a collection of clubs looking at City as a target to aim at.
Only the few would predict the golden years the club are now living in will go on forever, however. Football dynasties, particularly those in England, rise and fall at the most unexpected moments and turn on the least anticipated eventualities. There are always circumstances to be dealt with and situations to be managed. In that regard, the City story is no different, as some of the events of this year illustrate.
City were referred earlier this year to an independent commission over alleged breaches of Premier League rules dating back to 2009. For their part, the club have said they are looking forward to the independent body impartially considering “the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position”.
Some of those outside officialdom who have accused the club of wrongdoing, appear to be motivated in part by a mix of tribalism and jealousy. Guardiola, in particular, has been strident in his criticism of the general discourse around the charges.
That City are now regarded with such envious eyes speaks once again to how far the club has journeyed in 15 years, although that can only be regarded as a fact of life rather than as a demonstrable achievement.
What is undeniable, is that not many would have imagined 15 years ago that the level of success on and off the pitch would be quite so wide-ranging. Not just domestic and now European glory, but urban redevelopment on a large scale around the stadium the club moved into two decades ago and, of course, the establishment of a global network of clubs under the City Football Group umbrella. Taken together, they are quite a collection of achievements.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adil%20El%20Arbi%20and%20Bilall%20Fallah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWill%20Smith%2C%20Martin%20Lawrence%2C%20Joe%20Pantoliano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
Francesco Totti's bio
Born September 27, 1976
Position Attacking midifelder
Clubs played for (1) - Roma
Total seasons 24
First season 1992/93
Last season 2016/17
Appearances 786
Goals 307
Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
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Published by Liveright
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
