The line of thinking that always amazes me is the idea that Mansour was so influential in Abu Dhabi that he could tell a highly-regulated company in a highly-regulated industry that he would give them some money on the side to top-up the City sponsorship, but he wasn't influential enough, or wasn't smart enough, to have got the state to fund Etihad with a tiny bit more money so they could pay the sponsorship directly.
I just don't see the joined-up thinking in these allegations.
They aren't dealing with some idiot Del Boy character here .....
Edit: That would be Chelsea we are talking about there. Sorry, couldn't resist :)