I think the F.O. spokesman said the UK side mentioned it during a routine meeting but the UAE side expressed no interest in it.The coverage really does smell like that now. The favoured few are being fed lines from the PL or Club Directors so the narrative will become "City were saved by Government interference." It is a very orchestrated campaign against City. This sort of coverage doesn't happen by accident.
I presume the Ziegler story is based on getting no comment (during an election period) on a question like: "Have the Government mentioned City's case to anyone in the UAE Government" This is a classic way to fabricate a fake news story. A bit like the old saying: "When did you stop beating your wife."