Manchester City owner under probe over links with Russia

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour is being investigated by the British foreign secretary over alleged links to Russia.

Mansour, who took over ownership of Man City in August 2008, is under investigation for his alleged role in helping Russian tycoons move their wealth to the United Arab Emirates.

The 52-year-old is vice president of the United Arab Emirates and has a reported net worth of around $17 billion, an astonishing figure that goes some way to explain Manchester City’s Premier League dominance in recent years. However, the club’s owner is in hot water amid a UK government investigation, and his relationship with the club is under threat as a result.

The case into Mansour’s actions has been launched by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, with lawyers believing that the Emirati businessman has taken advantage of his position to aid the movement of Russian money in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.

If the City owner is found guilty, he will be forced to leave his position as owner of the English giants, due to new Premier League owner and director rules that dictate owners can be banned if found to have been involved in a “disqualifying event” such as a criminal offence or an involvement with human rights abuses.

At this time, Mansour’s future at the club remains the same unless the investigation proves otherwise.

Goal