And like thousands of other nationalists, he has taken to wearing a small yellow ribbon to demonstrate his support for Catalan politicians jailed for organising an illegal referendum. Listing. Welcome to mancity.com, online home of Premier League winners Manchester City FC. While the Qataris at Paris Saint-Germain made it a priority to infiltrate the corridors of power, City find themselves adrift: friendless and alone, with only their money and their hubris to protect them. In contrast, at 29th, Spain is one of the countries where freedom is most respected. Inside, the UAE opposition is muzzled. But one must question his judgment. After all football, like geopolitics, is very much a results business. Citizenships were revoked. Scores of people, including prisoners of conscience, who were sentenced following unfair trials remain in prison. Uefa’s ban will surely make several of City’s squad question their future, Pep Guardiola is under contract until the end of next season and has confirmed he will not be walking away from Manchester City before that point. Joel B. Pollak 7 Aug 2020. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Certainly no disorder of any kind. The Catalan Guardiola is a fervent advocate of the nationalist cause. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. One little snippet to emerge is the fact City’s appeals to the court of arbitration for sport have been dubbed “Cas One” and “Cas Two”, as if they were military campaigns, rather than ringbinders being delivered to a courtroom by clerks in TM Lewin suits. There Abaaoud was shot dead by police commandos, along with two other terrorist suspects. Are pubs and restaurants to blame for the second wave of Covid-19? At a dismal 17, the UAE is one of the worst. No marching on the streets. It was "a fetid flat with no water or toilet," the Guardian reported. If he wants to talk about human rights let him begin with the UAE. Khaldoon Al Mubarak has been the chairman of City since 2008. The New York Times published a lengthy report Friday on the degree to which armed Black Lives Matter and Antifa activists terrorized local businesses inside the “autonomous” zone in June. Pep Guardiola says the Manchester City owners want him to stay at the club for a “long, long, long, long time” Commenting is not currently available, but don’t worry! How the Covid-19 crisis has turned the UK into a “Frankenstate”, Watching the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, I think of my Armenian ancestors fleeing their home, Beabadoobee's Fake It Flowers: a near-flawless record of Y2K nostalgia, Why green spaces are vital for the UK’s levelling up agenda, The international break recalls years of English mediocrity, and leaves me longing for the Prem, What the plight of Gunnersaurus tells us about football’s responsibility problem, Why sport's new status as a purely digital product is not sustainable. Salah Abdeslam, wanted in connection to the Islamic State (ISIS) massacre, was caught on CCTV cameras at a petrol station at around 9.30 am local time on November 14 2015. They asked them to ensure the commercial relationship did not “besmirch the city’s reputation” and urged them to support “victims of serious human rights violations.”. “I am a manager. iPhone users claim old models have slowed down since iPhone 12 launch - what's going on. It would be a mistake for the authorities of British football to sanction him – not least because it would contribute to the narrative of the martyr so essential to the Catalan cause. There is resentment among City fans about their treatment and word is that Abu Dhabi will be fighting back against Uefa, Mon 17 Feb 2020 15.45 EST This is the language of existential threat, the register of total warfare, and it is fed by the incendiary invective coming out of the club. According to the Index of Press Freedom compiled by Journalists Without Borders, the emirates are at the tail end of free speech – ranking 119th of 180. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Abaaoud's cousin also died in the siege. And yet he has been less defiant in standing up to his own boss, Manchester City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has a dismal record and has been relentlessly condemned by international organisations. Amnesty have identified two particular groups that suffer from discrimination in the UAE, both in the legislation and in practice:  the women and the immigrants. And yet he has been less defiant in standing up to his own boss, Manchester City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour of the United Arab Emirates. A man who was accused of harboring terrorists in Paris after one of the city's most deadly attacks has been sentenced to four years in prison. All rights reserved. Who can catch Manchester City? But who is the man who has transformed Manchester City, and how much is he worth? Sheikh Mansour is chairman of the International Petroleum Investment Company, and also has a stake in Virgin Galactic. Bendaoud told the owner of a local pizzeria about the 'dodgy Belgians' he had rented a flat to, but he told the court he had not recognised them as the wanted terrorists because he had been high on crack cocaine after a 19-year-old who he was having an affair with told him she was pregnant. Amnesty International accuses Manchester City owners of 'sportswashing' their country's image. Amnesty International have previously been critical of the Manchester City owners' human rights record, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Get the New Statesman's Morning Call email. Does a regime serially defying a United Nations arms embargo in Libya – according to the UN’s own reports – strike you as the sort that places a high premium on bureaucratic process? Amnesty International have previously been critical of the Manchester City owners' human rights record. WATCH: CHILLING video shows Paris terrorist roaming the streets... 90 people were gunned down while attending a concert at the Bataclan music hall, NYE TERROR THREAT: Brussels axes NYE festivities as 10th Paris attacks suspect is arrested, Paris pays tribute to Charlie Hebdo dead as first anniversary of terror atrocity nears, WATCH: Terror of disabled son left ABANDONED in John Lewis evacuation. US Election 2020: What time is Pence vs Harris debate tonight and how do you watch it in UK? Instead, the City Football Group wholly own the club, of which Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group has 86.21% shares. “The club has made a statement on Friday about what happened, stolen emails. When challenged on the evident hypocrisy, Guardiola lamely said that “every country decided the way they want to live for themselves”. There is no democracy of any form. City have refused to comment on the allegations but said the reports are based on “hacked and stolen” material as part of a “clear and organised” attempt to tarnish the club.