Man City saga takes shock twist just hours after club appeal Premier League ruling

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly warned UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham that it will pull billions of pounds of funding out of the UK if the guilty verdict on 114 of the 115 charges brought against Manchester City by the Premier League is upheld. It first emerged on September 25 that City had been found guilty of the majority of the charges brought against them by the Premier League following an independent commission review.

All charges relate to a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, with City winning three Premier League titles during this time. City have since appealed the verdict and maintain their innocence.

READ NEXT: Gary Neville names 'only appropriate punishment' for Man City if appeal against Premier League ruling fails UAE send threat to UK government over Man City verdict As expected, the story has sent shockwaves through the world of football and is now having an impact on the UK's political relations with the UAE, with City's owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), hailing from the Gulf state. Advert The owner of ADUG, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is currently vice president and deputy prime minister of the state, as well as a minister of the president's court and a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi.

As reported by The Telegraph, the UAE has warned UK Prime Minister Burnham, who previously served as mayor of Greater Manchester, that it will pull billions of pounds of investment from the UK in retaliation for the verdict against City. This comes after Burnham was accused of praising City's owners.

When asked by BBC News whether he was worried that City's owners might sell up, he replied: "Well, I would be really concerned to lose them. They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester.

Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is. I can't intervene more in the process.

It would be wrong for me to do that. It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all of the detail, but obviously it's ongoing, and because it's still contested by Manchester City, then I think it's right that I don't say much more.

Several members of the Tory party condemned his comments, branding them completely out of touch", forcing Downing Street to backtrack by releasing a statement saying no team is "above the rules". 10 spokesperson added: "He also stressed that it is an ongoing independent process.

It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected. Wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences."