Khaldoon Al Mubarak

Khaldoon Al Mubarak chaired Manchester City throughout the club's financial litigation, from UEFA investigations to the 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules announced in February 2023. On 18 August 2026, the Premier League still indicated that no verdict could be communicated and acknowledged that the proceedings were taking longer than expected.

Amnesty International and other critics have described Abu Dhabi's investment in Manchester City as a "sportswashing" operation intended to improve the UAE's image despite criticism concerning human rights, migrant workers and repression of dissidents. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club's chairman and a senior Emirati economic official, is one of the principal public figures in this governance structure.

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Directly implicated

Manchester City challenged the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction rules, which regulate contracts with entities related to owners. In October 2024, an arbitration tribunal ruled that certain aspects of the rules were unlawful and that two decisions concerning City transactions were procedurally unfair, while dismissing most of the club's arguments. In September 2025, City and the Premier League settled the dispute, with City accepting the then-current APT rules as valid and binding.

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Settlement

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Directly implicated

Construction of the NYU Abu Dhabi campus attracted criticism over migrant workers' rights abuses, including recruitment fees, deductions from wages or benefits, confiscation of passports and poor conditions. The controversy also concerned Khaldoon Al Mubarak, an NYU board member and central figure in establishing the campus through Abu Dhabi's economic institutions, with students and observers questioning the overlap of responsibilities.

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