Senior figures at Manchester City have publicly rounded on the club’s former owner, former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in comments reported by Britain’s Guardian newspaper yesterday.
Garry Cook, the club’s executive chairman, said he “deeply regretted my failure to do proper research on Thaksin,” while manager Mark Hughes admitted he made “too many assumptions” before joining from Blackburn Rovers last year.
It is three years since Thaksin, who is now living in exile to avoid a jail term for corruption, was toppled by the military in Thailand and had US$2.2 billion of funds frozen soon afterwards.
Hughes, Cook and others including midfielder Stephen Ireland said a lack of cash under Thaksin meant Manchester City was well short of having the resources needed to make the club big hitters in the Premiership.
“I made too many assumptions,” Hughes told the Guardian. “I assumed that people and facilities would be top quality and it was patently obvious they weren’t.”
Cook admitted that the atmosphere at Eastlands was like a “lion’s den.”
“Thaksin’s money was locked away,” he said. “We got into a position where we couldn’t pay the players and [former chairman] John Wardle was asked to lend the club £2 million [US$3.3 million].”
Ireland added: “It was mad that somebody like that ... could own our football club.”
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club’s current chairman, said the situation the new owner, Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, inherited was “simply unacceptable” and forced quick action to make basic improvements to, for example, the club’s gym.
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS