Sheikh Mansour commends Manchester City’s officials and players efforts
- 14 Jun 2024
His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, on Thursday received a number of officials from Manchester City, accompanied by Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority and Chairman of Manchester City, on the occasion of the team’s four-season streak of winning the English Premier League title.
During the meeting, which took place in His Highness' office at Qasr Al Watan, the Manchester City officials and head coach Pep Guardiola presented the titles won by Manchester City this season to Sheikh Mansour. They expressed their appreciation for his support of the club’s Board of Directors, coaches, and players, which has been a major driver for the continuous development of the team’s performance and its title track record.
In turn, Sheikh Mansour commended the efforts of the Board of Directors, the technical management, and the players’ performance during the season, which culminated in these outcomes and delighted the team’s fans. He noted that this accomplishment reflects the success of the strategy set to achieve the club’s goals and boost its leadership in Europe and globally. He emphasised that Manchester City’s title wins serve as motivation to continue the club’s progress, adding to its exemplary track record.
Sheikh Mansour also highlighted the positive influence of the team’s fanbase in supporting it across various championships.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Pep Guardiola presented the trophies won by the club to Sheikh Mansour, with the participation of a group of young trainees from the Manchester City Football Schools, which comprise around 3,000 trainees.
The English Premier League title is Manchester City’s third during the 2023/2024 season, following their victory in the UEFA Super Cup in July 2023 and the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2023.
Meanwhile, City chairman Khaldoon is confident of finding the ‘right solution’ regarding Guardiola’s future at the club, although he has not said what that would look like. Spanish manager Guardiola, whose contract at the English giants runs until 2025, cast doubt over his long-term future at the Etihad after winning a historic fourth straight Premier League title last month, admitting it is difficult to find motivation after so much sustained success. Guardiola’s time at City since his arrival in 2016 has been marked by relatively short contracts, meaning his future beyond the end of next season remains uncertain. “With Pep, we’ve had this conversation many times before over the years of the contract,” Khaldoon told the club’s media channels in his end-of-season review.
“Pep has always been fully committed to this club, fully committed to every contract he’s signed with us. “The decision on his future is always a decision we take together, and I have no doubt we will find, as we always have done, the right solution that works for Pep and works for us.”
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles in the past seven years as well as the Champions League, the Club World Cup, two FA Cups and four League Cups. Khaldoon added:
“It’s hard to put into words what Pep has given this organisation, this club. You can look at just records for history’s sake, and there I think he’s racked up almost every record in the book...But also beyond that, I think what his impact has been on football. English football has changed with the evolution to the type of football that Pep has brought in to the league.”
City’s 2023/24 season, however, ended with an FA Cup final defeat by local rivals Manchester United at Wembley.
“For sure everybody wanted to win,” said Khaldoon.
“It’s the FA Cup, it’s against Manchester United, it’s doing the double-double back-to-back. From that perspective, (we’re) very disappointed. But always you have to think of the silver lining. One of the things you always want to avoid is complacency...Now we come back hungrier because we want to win this again. We want to go for the treble again. “We’re going to try to win every competition we compete in,” said Khaldoon.
Agencies
