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Stan Kroenke’s Arsenal enforcer wants Man City owner Sheikh Mansour kicked out over £318m issue
Arsenal’s 5-1 destruction of Manchester City last night was the latest chapter in a fascinating rivalry that runs far, far deeper than Gabriel vs Erling Haaland.
The animosity between the two sides plays out as much at Premier League shareholder meetings as much as it is on the pitch, with Stan Kroenke and Sheikh Mansour’s representatives routinely at loggerheads.
At the moment, Arsenal have the edge on the field of play, although that will be of little comfort if they fall short of Arne Slot’s Liverpool in the title race this season.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 23 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 56 | 21 | 35 | 56 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 49 | 22 | 27 | 50 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 40 | 27 | 13 | 47 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 48 | 35 | 13 | 41 |
| 5 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 41 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 23 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 30 | 15 | 40 |
Behind the scenes, however, it isn’t quite as clear which ownership regime has the upper hand.
Arsenal and Man City occupy two opposing camps when it comes to matters of governance and football finance, which some more conspiratorially minded fans label the ‘blue cartel’ and the ‘red cartels’.
Occasionally, the so-called ‘Big Six’ will close ranks when it is in their shared interests to do so, but the blue and red tribes fundamentally disagree on some of the biggest issues of the day.
This opposition played out in microcosm in City’s challenge to the Premier League’s APT (Associated Party Transaction) rules.
Arsenal gave evidence against the four-in-a-row champions at the tribunal alongside a cluster of clubs including Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham.
City meanwhile had the support of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, while Everton and Nottingham Forest have fought their corner in similar situations too.
The two sides clash on the subject of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), with the Gunners favouring tighter spending controls and City adopting more of a free-market philosophy.
There have been umpteen more trivial instances of when City and Arsenal have not seen eye to eye, many of which are likely a symptom of the deeper issues at management level.
Arsenal executives left the PFA Awards before Phil Foden collected his honour in 2024, for example.
Vice-chair Tim Lewis also departed the Etihad without shaking hands with his opposite number in the now-infamous 2-2 draw back in September.
Significantly, Arsenal have also reserved the right to seek compensation depending on the outcome of City’s 115 charges case.
Incidentally, the lead barrister who appointed the judges presiding over the case is an Arsenal fan, which raised eyebrows at the Etihad.
However, commentators have also pointed out that Lord David Pannick – the superstar lawyer who is charging City more than Erling Haaland on an hourly basis – also supports the Gunners.
Further in the past, Arsenal were furious when City pilfered several of their best players in the early years under Mansour. They responded, of course, by poaching Pep Guardiola’s protégé, Mikel Arteta.
There is a personal element to the rivalry at executive level to, as resurfaced ahead of City’s humbling at the Emirates.
Arsenal vice-chair Tim Lewis opposes Man City ownership model
Tim Lewis is Stan Kroenke’s eyes and ears in N5.
The lawyer, who has been with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment for decades and helped broker their full takeover of Arsenal, has been front and centre of his club’s fractious relationship with City.
As reported by the The Miguel Delaney, Lewis is vehemently opposed to states or state-linked individuals owning football clubs, as is the case at Man City.
Sheikh Mansour is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. He is the ultimate owner of Abu Dhabi United Group, who run and fund City.
Lewis’ position, it is said, is that nation states have a level of power and wealth that is near impossible to regulate.
Delaney’s article cites the disparity between the two clubs’ wages bills as case in point, with Arsenal paying players and staff £318m compared to City’s £400m.
Could an independent regulator force Sheikh Mansour out of Man City?
In recent months, Premier League representatives have been aggressively lobbying for the government to water down its proposal for an independent regulator for English football.
The bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, would set up a body that would have backstop powers to implement new financial distribution mechanisms.
It also aim to safeguard the interest of supporters, with the capability to block club colour or badge changes as well as breakaway leagues such as the Arsenal and City-backed European Super League.
The regulator – which has cross-party support – will also implement a new owners’ and directors’ test and some politicians have suggested that state-linked individuals could be barred from owning clubs under it.
However, that is extraordinarily unlikely.
For one, diplomatic relations – particularly with wealth Gulf states – would likely be harmed if some of their most senior officials were kicked out of English football.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, for example, directly lobbied then prime minister Boris Johnson to help push through PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United in October 2021.
Lisa Nandy meanwhile, the minister for the department of Culture, Media and Sport, has also signalled that the likes of Mansour at City would not be ousted.