Manchester City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak has held diplomatic immunity in the UK since 2020

Khaldoon al-Mubarak, Manchester City's chairman since Abu Dhabi United Group took over the club in 2008, has held diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom since 2020. His inclusion on the official list of accredited diplomats shields him automatically from criminal investigation on British soil, a detail that adds a new layer to the ongoing financial irregularity proceedings against the Manchester club.

• Khaldoon al-Mubarak was added to the UK's list of diplomats in 2020, granting him automatic immunity from criminal prosecution.
• There is no evidence that he has committed any offence, but lawyers point to possible legal consequences beyond the sporting sphere.
• The Premier League investigated the 2009-2018 period over alleged accounting fraud exceeding one billion euros.
• Manchester City has until Friday to lodge its appeal and claims to hold irrefutable evidence that will overturn the verdict.

How Khaldoon al-Mubarak's diplomatic immunity affects the Manchester City case

Al-Mubarak, who also serves as CEO of Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, brings an unprecedented element into the proceedings. Although no court has identified him as a suspect, legal experts suggest that the Premier League's findings could lead to individual criminal liability for executives who held senior roles during the years under review.

The period in question, from 2009 to 2018, matches the years in which the club systematically inflated its budgets, according to the independent commission's ruling. The accounting distortion exceeded one billion euros, a figure that helped the club sustain an elite squad while collecting eight major trophies, including three Premier League titles.

Khaldoon al-Mubarak's tenure as Manchester City chairman since 2008

Al-Mubarak became chairman following the arrival of Abu Dhabi United Group, the Emirati private equity vehicle that turned Manchester City into a continental powerhouse. Under his leadership, the club went from fighting relegation to winning the Champions League, six Premier League crowns and a long list of domestic honours.

One of the most influential figures in the United Arab Emirates, Al-Mubarak has combined his football responsibilities with the management of Mubadala, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds. His institutional and now diplomatic profile adds another layer of legal complexity to a case already regarded as one of the most delicate in modern English football history.

Manchester City's appeal and the Premier League timeline

The club has until Friday to formalise its challenge against the independent commission's ruling. Throughout the process, Manchester City has maintained its innocence and insists it holds irrefutable evidence that will reverse the verdict.

Once submitted, the appeal will be reviewed within a maximum of twelve weeks. A five-day hearing will follow, after which the panel will have up to thirty days to deliver its final decision. The schedule points to a resolution in the coming months, with the club also facing other disciplinary fronts opened by the Premier League.

What is at stake for Manchester City beyond sporting sanctions

The possible consequences are not limited to points deductions, administrative relegation or financial penalties. The emergence of diplomatic immunity in the equation suggests the case could move beyond the purely sporting arena into criminal territory, with implications for executives who signed the contracts and supervised the accounts during the decade under investigation.

Manchester City inflated its budgets over nearly a decade, resulting in a distortion of its accounts exceeding one billion euros.

Frequently asked questions about Khaldoon al-Mubarak's diplomatic immunity