The real world consequences of the Man City verdict stretch far beyond football

In a story where so many involved do not feel they can say a thing,Manchester CitychairmanKhaldoon Al Mubarakevidently felt the authority to talk. He also felt he needed to, ashe issued a letter to supporters regarding Friday's newsthat the club is expected to be found guilty of nearly all of the charges in the notoriousPremier Leaguecase.

This is big business forAbu Dhabiinterests, but it's also personal, as illustrated by Al Mubarak's reference to friends and family. While the club chairman pointed to how his letter "underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies" to "the strict confidentiality of the legal process", it was strident.

"Our confidence and intent in proving the Club's innocence is just as strong as when this began," wrote Al Mubarak, as he also referenced two previous statements from the club, including from the day thecharges first dropped in February 2023. It was the latter which contained the oft-quoted description of a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence", that here became "so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position" but the point stands.

Going by the anticipated outcome, the independent panel appears to havefound much of that evidence quite refutable. Two other lines that stood out were: "There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club.

We will not give them that opportunity. " Given that was in a letter about the Premier League case, it should be re-iterated that the competition was duty-bound to pursue an investigation fromDer Spiegel's leaks in November 2018.

Either way, despite multiple legal sources insisting to theIndependentthis isnow a very challenging case for City,there was a marked bullishness about Al Mubarak's stance. It is a bullishness that many at political level would recognise.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak remains bullish over Manchester City's innocence(PA) This entire story has brought discussion about whether UK trade deals with the United Arab Emirates could be at risk, and that is not out of nothing. In 2015, the Guardian reported that the UAE had threatened to block billion-pound arms deals, if David Cameron did not take a harder stance on the Muslim Brotherhood political group.

Leaked documents detail Al Mubarak, widely seen as the country's de facto prime minister and closest advisor to president Mohammed bin Zayed, warning the UK government that "the difficult conversations we've been having, will become far more difficult". Some senior football executives would say they recognise the tone.

It should be stressed that Al Mubarak is widely described as a "respectful gentleman" and "charming deal-maker", as befitting a statesman with multiple business roles, but there can also be a real steel that reflects his political power. This can be sensed in some of his interviewed comments on the City case, and the very leaked emails that sparked this entire story.