Khaldoon Al Mubarak issues apology to Manchester City supporters over decision to join disastrous European Super League as chairman insists club will continue to be ‘disruptive’ to remain among the elite
- Khaldoon Al Mubarak has apologised for City’s role in European Super League
- Man City joined 11 other European rebel clubs in joining the breakaway league
- However, the Premier League champions pulled out just 48 hours later
- City chairman Al Mubarak apologised to fans for his decision to join the ESL
- He maintains that he will continue being ‘disruptive’ to keep City at the top
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has apologised for his decision to join the failed European Super League, but warned that the club will continue to be ‘disruptive’ to stay among the elite.
City had a difficult relationship with UEFA even before signing up for the breakaway league, having twice been charged by Europe’s governing body for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
Khaldoon admitted that he regrets being part of the ESL plot, but admitted that he will do what it takes in future to keep City at the top.
Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has apologised for the club’s decision to join ESL
‘We will continue to push the envelope in everything we do – because we want to be the best club in the world,’ he said.
‘To do that we have to disrupt – and we will disrupt. In being disruptive, sometimes you make mistakes. We’ve made them in the past and we’ll make them in the future.
‘We’ll be better and we’ll be stronger and we’ll be more successful.
‘From where we were 12 years ago to where we are now, we couldn’t do what we’ve done without taking risks. To get to where we are, we’ve done a lot of things right and we’ve made mistakes.
City joined 11 other European rebels in joining the disastrous European Super League in April
However, after fan anger the club pulled out of the breakaway league just 48 hours later
‘Our ability to compete in that top tier is clear and we will be competitive and aggressive.’
Khaldoon hinted at the dilemma facing City over the ESL fiasco as he apologised for the club’s involvement.
‘I’m not going to sit here and defend the reason why we did it,’ he added.
‘I took a decision ultimately on this and I take full responsibility – it was a mistake.
The City chairman insists club will continue being ‘disruptive’ to stay at football’s summit
‘The timing of when we actually did commit tells you a lot in terms of how challenging a decision it was and how much we struggled with that decision.
‘I regret it and you can see it – our reluctance. We heard the fans, we heard the football community speak and we acted.’
Meanwhile, a 42-year-old City fan has been fined £500 and issued with a three-year football banning order for making racist gestures towards Manchester United players Jesse Lingard and Fred in the Etihad derby last season.