Etihad's 2015 denial of Abu Dhabi subsidies threatens to undermine Man City's appeal

Manchester City lodged a formal appeal on 1 October 2026 against an independent panel’s guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges, covering alleged rule breaches across a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. A new three-person independent panel will now hear the challenge before a final determination is made.

The Premier League alleges that City artificially inflated revenue and reduced costs by more than £900 million to comply with financial regulations, partly through what it describes as ‘sham’ sponsorship deals. Sources close to the club insist those arrangements were legitimate and funded by the Abu Dhabi government rather than by the club’s owners, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). City have also stated they hold “irrefutable evidence” of their innocence, and point out that the Premier League permits state-owned bodies to sponsor clubs — a provision that, if applicable, could clear them of manufacturing illegitimate deals.

However, that line of defence has been complicated by a statement Etihad Airways made to the United States Departments of Commerce, Transportation, and State in 2015, during a separate investigation into state-owned airlines. The Abu Dhabi carrier told US authorities that reports of the government paying for its sponsorships were “false”.

“We are government-owned and have been since our founding,” Etihad said at the time. “We are and have always been clear that we do not receive any subsidies from the Abu Dhabi government, and that we are financed through a combination of equity, shareholder and commercial loans. Our shareholder’s equity and loans are not subsidies under any applicable definition; they are the means by which the Abu Dhabi government has sensibly invested in a successful business model.”

That declaration sits in direct tension with City’s current appeal argument, which relies on the premise that Abu Dhabi government money — rather than ADUG funds — financed the sponsorship arrangements in question. If Etihad’s own public position is that it operates independently of government subsidy, it significantly narrows the space City have to argue the deals were state-backed and therefore permissible under Premier League rules.

In their appeal confirmation, City stated: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.” The club continues to maintain its innocence across all charges.