Khaldoon Al Mubarak says there is no intention to sell Manchester City
Khaldoon Al MubarakChairman of Manchester City, in the club's annual end-of-season interview
In the club's end-of-season interview in June 2026, months before the findings were published, the chairman said there was no intention to sell, only to keep growing the business, and that jewels like Manchester City and its group are not sold.
“There’s no intention to sell There’s only intention to keep growing this because the view here is this will only grow and this is a beautiful business to own. It’s football and it’s entertainment. And in the world we’re in today, while the world changes and people’s attention goes to different things, sport stays. And football within sports is the pinnacle. And Manchester City and this Group within the football world is a pinnacle. And these sorts of jewels, you don’t sell.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Regulator says it can force Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners to sell if it finds them unfit; Carragher says they must sell up, and Burnham says he would be concerned to lose them
On September 29, 2026, the Premier League published an independent commission's finding that Manchester City arranged sponsorship contracts it described as shams to disguise funding from its owner between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. City denies wrongdoing and has appealed. The findings opened a second argument, over whether the club's Abu Dhabi owners, led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, should keep the club if the findings stand. Jamie Carragher wrote that the owners must sell up, and Gary Neville said it was hard to see how they could pass the owners' and directors' test. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would be really concerned to lose them. The Independent Football Regulator, which can judge whether owners are suitable, says it can require an owner to step away but will not make a judgement while the appeal is pending.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Article on Manchester City's website from Khaldoon Al Mubarak's annual end-of-season interview, published in June 2026, before the commission's findings, with his remarks on whether the owner would sell.
Before the quotation
The club's website published the chairman's annual end-of-season interview on June 5, 2026. It notes that Sheikh Mansour has owned City since 2008.
After the quotation
He went on to describe the club's development around the Etihad Stadium and said that in 18 years the owners had not taken a pound of profit outside the club.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Khaldoon says the owner means to keep and grow the club and its group rather than sell, which backs the owner keeping Manchester City. He spoke before the findings were published. We labeled it Defended or excused.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseDavid Kogan says the regulator can make an owner step away but he will not be pushed into a judgement on City
“I am not going to get pushed into making any judgement on this until we've seen all of those questions being answered, and then we will have to decide whether we're going to mount our own investigation and come to a conclusion on that and what we're going to do. And pre-empting that would be a colossal mistake. ... We have the power to ask an owner to step away from a club if we believe that they run a club in a way that is neither fit, fair or done with propriety”Read statement
Lisa Nandy says owners are custodians and the regulator can act, but "We're not there yet"
“I want to be crystal clear that, whilst we are really grateful to investors who come from all over the world to invest in our clubs and help to ensure their viability and their success, they are custodians, both of their clubs and of the game ... They have a responsibility to play by the rules and uphold the rules. ... We’re not there yet. It's absolutely right that Manchester City get the right to defend themselves and they do strongly refute the allegations. But in the event that they do not believe that a club is in safe hands, we’ve fought tooth and nail to give the Independent Regulator the power.”Read statement
Gary Neville says it is hard to see how City's owners could pass the owners' and directors' test if the verdict stands
“It’s hard to see how the Man City owners can comply with the owners’ and directors’ test in this country if the verdict remains. The reality is, because of improper owners of clubs, there are a lot stricter rules in place. It’ll be difficult for the Man City owners to retain their status. Clubs are protected assets, community assets, because of the meaning of them to fans and people of a city, so owners have to comply with the rules and laws set out in the test. The only appropriate punishment is to apply the owners’ and directors’ test, firstly, and then to look at the achievements over the period and determine whether they should still stand.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Khaldoon Al Mubarak says there is no intention to sell Manchester City
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/9035-in-the-club-s-end-of-season-interview
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Khaldoon Al Mubarak says there is no intention to sell Manchester City". First published: 2026-11-15. Last updated: 2026-11-15. https://disputeindex.com/events/9035-in-the-club-s-end-of-season-interview