ABU DHABI // The team led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed in the takeover of Manchester City is preparing to introduce new directors to the board of the English Premier League club as it moves towards finalising a deal worth more than Dh1.3 billion (US$350 million).
After a week of excited claims about the star players the newly enriched club might now try to recruit, Sheikh Mansour's private equity holding, Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG), is concentrating on a calmer, more structured approach to developing a team capable of challenging for football's highest honours.
Further investment in City's respected youth academy, measures to capitalise on the club's "incredible" fan base and a commitment to give wholehearted backing to the manager, Mark Hughes, are seen as key elements in ADUG's immediate plans, a source close to the ownership team said yesterday.
The "due diligence" process that began with the announcement of the takeover eight days ago is expected to be completed next week, after which directors installed under the previous owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, former prime minister of Thailand, would be replaced by individuals considered more suited to the longer-term interests of the club.
The man associated most prominently in early coverage of the deal, Dr Sulaiman al Fahim, chief executive officer of Hydra Properties and a high-profile figure in the UAE business and sporting worlds, will not be a member of the newly constituted board, despite earlier reports to the contrary. However, the ownership team disputes suggestions in the western press that Dr Fahim has been "sidelined".
"That implies that it was ever the intention that he should have a continuing role," said the ownership team source. "His involvement was to broker the deal, and having accomplished one of the fastest and smoothest acquisitions in Premier League history, we now see the need to establish a board with individuals appropriate to identifying and addressing the future requirements of the club."
Sheikh Mansour, for whom the investment is a private venture unconnected to the Government, which he serves as Minister of Presidential Affairs, has been told by his advisers that in Hughes, Manchester City have a manager with "outstanding man-management and motivational qualities, an amazing eye for talent and the ability to build a team to compete with the best".
The youth academy is considered especially impressive. City's under 18s team won the FA Youth Cup last season and several products of the club's youth policy played during the recent emphatic victory, on the eve of the takeover announcement, at Sunderland.
"The importance of building further on the success of this part of the club simply cannot be overstated," the source said. "Do not forget that the most successful period of Manchester United's recent history was based to a large extent on graduates of their academy."
The role of the academy has assumed greater significance since the deal, under which ADUG takes 90 per cent of the club's ownership with Thaksin retaining the remaining 10 per cent, Some observers claimed the process of feeding home-grown talent to the first team would be undermined as a procession of expensive new signings made it impossible for young players to break through.
Interest in City has soared since details of the takeover disclosed. Many hundreds of extra season tickets have been sold and the club's shop has reported a massive boost in takings, especially in replica shirt sales inspired by the record British signing of Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Robinho from under the noses of Chelsea.
"The fan base is incredible," said the source. "They have given City support that is second to none, and this is seen as vital to the development of the club."
In the days following news of ADUG's purchase of the club, the ownership team became uneasy with extravagant talk of City plotting audacious bids for some of the best players in the world. The Man Utd and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Liverpool's Spanish striker Fernando Torres and Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas were among the names mentioned by Dr Fahim.
While huge funds are certain to be made available for Hughes to strengthen his squad, the ownership team has carefully distanced itself from such speculation, and from reports confusing the private takeover the club with the Government.
"In Abu Dhabi, we prefer to go about business in an understated, pragmatic and patient manner," the source said. "Brashness is simply not our natural game."
Sheikh Mansour is expected to become more publicly associated with the ownership of the club once due diligence has been concluded. On Saturday, City host Chelsea in what is being billed as "the Abu Dhabi Derby", given Chelsea's sponsorship by Etihad Airways, but he considers it would be inappropriate to attend Eastlands, City's stadium, before the deal is formalised.
@Email:crandall@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Our family matters legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
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Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
HOW TO WATCH
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
THE%20SPECS
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
Company%C2%A0profile
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Leaderboard
64 - Gavin Green (MAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR)
65 - Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE), Adri Arnaus (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
66 - Phil Mickelson (USA), Tom Lewis (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Ross Fisher (ENG), Aaron Rai (ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL)
67 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (ESP), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Francesco Laporta (ITA), Joost Luiten (NED), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
68 - Alexander Bjork (SWE), Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Adrian Meronk (POL), David Howell (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Sean Crocker (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Renato Paratore (ITA)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
MATCH INFO
Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
Manchester United 0
