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Phil Foden cited as Arsenal and Man City boardroom rivalry escalates, Stan Kroenke’s right-hand man not happy

Adam Williams

Fri 7 February 2025 19:10, UK

Despite the title race not being contested by the pair this season, tensions between Arsenal and Manchester City have reached a new extreme – behind the scenes and on the pitch.

Arsenal’s 5-1 humbling of Man City last weekend was the latest 🔜chapter in a rivalry that has g⛎ripped both sets of supporters, players, and executives.

Tellingly, supporters celebrated the Gunners𓆉’ League Cup semi-final defeat at Newcastle United as though they had won at St James’ Pa🅰rk 🌸themselves.

But ♉as much as E🔯rling Haaland, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel have been the most visible protagonists in the saga, there are deeply entrenched differences in the boardroom too.

Manchester City see themselves as the outsiders, while Arsenal are the establishment. At the Emira💯tes Stadium, the perception is reversed.

City have typically voted for more liberal Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), for example, w꧋hile Arsenal are in favour♔ of tightening the system.

The big news today has been that City are relaunching their legal challenge to the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.

In that first case, which forced the Premier League to rewrite some components of the regulations governing screening commercial deꦚals for fair market value, Arsenal gave evidence against their rivals.

The North Londoners have also reserved the right to seek compensa♕tion if City are found guilty oꦆf the financial charges levelled at them.

A preliminary decision in the ‘115’ charges case is expected in the co🐽ming weeks, with a possible appeal’s process potentially pushing an ultimate outcome back towards the end of 2025.

Now, Liverpool University football finance expert Kie𓆉ran Maguire has shed s𝓡ome light on some of the reasons for the animosity between the two sides.

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PFA Awards ceremony played part in Man City and Arsenal tensions, says football finance expert

In the build-up to Arsenal’s demolition of City, reports suggested that Tim Lewis, the club’s vice-chair and right-hand man of owner Stan Kroenke, believes state-linked ownership should not be 💮allowed ♉in football.

City are officially owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, whose main beneficial owners in turn is Sheikh Manso꧒ur of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

It has been suggested that an incoming regulator for English football – which, incidentally, Lewis vehemently opposes – could ban st🍬ate-linked ownership, although this is all but impossible in reality.

“Presumably, Tim Lewis thinks that owners of the clubs who were in favour of Super League should be banned by the regulator,” Maguire said, speaking exclusively to TBR Football.

“That also have been damaging for English football, should be barred.

“Also, those owners who have a track record of owning other sports clubs that upped sticks and moved to different towns… There is an element of double standards here.

For context, Stan ♒Kroenke moved his Rams NFL franchise f💧rom St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016.

Maguire also expanded on an incident that saw members of Arsenal’s executive team leave the PFA Awards ceremony last year before City star Phil Foden collected his Player of the Year award.

“It seems to be quite personal between Tim Lewis and Manchester City. At that PFA Awards, the Arsenal delegation very conspicuously did a walk out when Phil Foden was collecting his award.

“The paradox of this is that City are the only Premier League club who have come out in favour of a regulator.

“Trying to work out Tim Lewis’s logic is challenging at times, although Arsenal have had a good season. If you want to go and ban state ownership, what happens if someone’s a politician in one country?

“Is it going to disadvantage English clubs when they come up against state-owned clubs like Paris Saint-Germain.

“If you are going to allow them there, it is a disadvantage for Tim Lewis given that Arsenal might be competing with them in Europe in due course.

“It seems to be a political comment but not one that had been thought through with much depth.”

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Why do Arsenal and Tim Lewis oppose the independent football regulator?

The proposed independent regulator for English football ha🌞s cross-party support and the near universal backing of fans, so why do the likes of Arsenal’s Tim Lewis oppose it?

Lewis was one of a handful of executives dispatched to talk to the media about the cons of mor༺e red tape in football, which he thinks will discourage investment in the Premier League.

West Ham’s Karren Brady and Brighton’s Paul Barber have spoken to the press about their distaste for additional regulation in football, while Leeds Un൩ited’s Angus Kinnear has previously likened it to Maoism.

Lewis has also stressed that th🎀e future of parachute payments – which are likely to fall under the regulator’s remit – should not be decided by a third party.