Der Spiegel a few years back already exposed $hittyâs modus operandi with Mancini (adviser to the Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club in the Arabian Gulf League). Just for a piss take, Mancini signed that and for $hitty on the same day.
They also reported on to how they increase and back-date sponsorship contracts with companies from Abu Dhabi to balance the books. The actual companies pay just a fraction, then Mansour makes up the rest.
No surprises that Haarland is on some crazy wages when you factor it all in. Will be something like a consultancy contract for feeding the Sheikhâs goldfishes.
The (corrupt themselves) authorities like UEFA canât do anything as they will face the best and most expensive lawyers in the business (look at the overturn of the two-year European ban).
Theyâve probably also gotten a little savvier with the eyes on them lately, especially after the Abramovich saga. The payments will be from Abu Dhabi to a myriad of off shore companies where the paper trail will go no where as it passes through several jurisdictions so nothing can be done.
Sheikh Mansour has always said that he (initially via Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development) is the personal owner and not the state. Football Leaks documents have shown that the above-mentioned company transferred money to $hitty which were cleared by the state.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak is basically the PM of Abu Dhabi, head of state investment, $hitty chairman, and heads the Executive Affairs Authority, which essentially manages Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development (the owner from 2008 to just recently, before a shuffle to make things more opaque).
Der Spiegel provides a neat what-if analogy to make things clear:
The state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn would be FC Bayern Munichâs main sponsor, but the club would send invoices for sponsorship money to a senior official in the Chancellery before then writing emails praising the financial services provided to the club by the government official.
The Prem is meant to be investigating them, but things will just get swept under the carpet.