Manchester City's owners are facing the embarrassing position of their fans in Abu Dhabi being unable to watch their Treble defence next season after the collapse of negotiations between the regional TV rights-holders BeIN Sport and the United Arab Emirates' telecoms operator, DU.
The deal for DU to take BeIN's rights packages, which includes the Premier League, Champions League and the ATP and WTA tennis tours, expires this weekend and appears unlikely to be renewed.
DU are understood to be seeking a 50 per cent reduction from BeIN, who suspect the demands are politically motivated and a legacy of the UAE's four-year blockade of Qatar.