Who said international breaks are boring? Actually, I said that. In my defence, however, they generally are quite boring, even with the new Nations League tournament. The first international break of the 2026/27 season, a daunting three weeks spanning the end of September, proved different though.

It produced stories so spicy, there was a meme circulating across social media that ‘we don’t want club football to return.’

MANCHESTER CITY’S COLOSSAL MESS

The first and the most significant bombshell dropped when the anonymous third party commission investigating Manchester City and the 115 charges of financial irregularity levied on them by the Premier League delivered its verdict against City.

The 115 charges consisted primarily of the club failing to provide accurate financial information pertaining to inflows and outflows, namely revenues and payments to players and managers. Other charges were merely implications of the former, namely, breaching multiple articles of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

Finally, there were about 35 charges of the club not cooperating with investigators and withholding information. The commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges.

The financial impropriety charges against Manchester City and FC Barcelona have the potential to rewrite the history books and change the two biggest football leagues on the planet. Here’s why

The financial impropriety charges against Manchester City and FC Barcelona have the potential to rewrite the history books and change the two biggest football leagues on the planet. Here’s why

Now how did we get here? A slight recap.

In 2008, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought Manchester City after its previous owners were caught in a corruption case in Thailand. He’s the son of UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed. And as is customary in that part of the world, Sheikh Mansour serves as the Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of UAE, while his brother is the current President.

Being the Vice President comes with its perks:........

© Dawn (Magazines)