Powered by Abu Dhabi’s wealth, the Guardiola blueprint works in India and across Asia – though conflicts of interest await
A decade ago, I sat in a high-rise Bangkok office decorated by Oasis gold discs on the wall. As well as being a massive entertainment company in Thailand, BEC Tero also owned a leading local football club and in 2005, they entered a strategic partnership with Arsenal and declared big plans, even changing the club logo to resemble that of the English team. BEC wanted to be genuine football partners but felt that Arsenal, over time, saw the relationship primarily in commercial terms. It was, they said, the way of big European clubs in Asia.
Whether those attitudes have changed or not, the approach certainly has. Mumbai City’s first Indian Super League title win last Saturday was forged partly in Manchester. While the triumph was not quite as dramatic as that Sergio Agüero moment, a 90th-minute winner that seals a come-from-behind victory and the championship title would go down well everywhere – well, across the branches of City Football Group at least.
Related: Manchester City’s plan for global domination
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