THE WORLD'S GAME ... ACCORDING TO US

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Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim has added a new "sky blue" jewel to his crown.

If you were playing fantasy soccer, you might try to assemble a team of all the world's top young stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Robinho. If you were an Arab billionaire, you could put together a team like that for real. At least that's what Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim, head of the Abu Dhabi United Group, is trying to do.

In a quick and surprising coup this week, al-Fahim's company, backed by UAE royals, bought Manchester City Football Club and stole Brazilian Robinho from the predatory clutches of Chelsea, who had all but closed a deal for the former Real Madrid player (They were already selling his shirt). Manchester City paid a record $58.6 million for their booty. That same day Al-Fahim almost succeeded in snatching Dimitar Berbatov away from Manchester United as well; United, who had pursued Berbatov for months, finally got him for $56 million, but only after City had topped their offer.

These aggressive moves against global superpower United and Chelsea's Roman Abromovich, who was, just last week, the richest enfant terrible of soccer, are only the beginning of Al-Fahim's plans for City. He says he will make it the biggest club in Britain (and by extension the world) and has set his sights on several other superstars including Torres, David Villa and Cesc Fabregas. Price is no object. Al-Fahim reportedly offered Real Madrid a blank check for Ruud van Nistelrooy, and he has told the press that he would pay an absurd $240 million to pluck Cristiano Ronaldo away from City's crosstown rivals.

Perhaps, al-Fahim isn't competing as much with Manchester United as he is with Dubai, the second-richest emirate in the UAE. Dubai has recently grabbed headlines with its self-promotional construction projects like the chain of manmade islands built in the shape of a world map (The universe is next) and its incredible sports initiatives. They've built a ski mountain in the desert and created a whole "sports city," complete with stadiums, sports schools and a sports-themed shopping mall. Abu Dhabi has tried to keep pace, building its own Louvre and entering the sports game too. After Dubai got a PGA tour stop, so did Abu Dhabi. After Dubai built a state-of-the-art auto-racing track, Abu Dhabi signed a deal for its own Grand Prix race. And now, after Dubai investors tried to take over Liverpool, Abu Dhabi swooped into Northern England and got a team first.

"By engaging into sport's investment," the Abu Dhabi group said, "ADUG aims to reinforce Abu Dhabi's position as a capital of both sport and economic development." So, they're investing in sports in order to invest in sports.

But why Manchester City? City does have a long history—the club was founded in 1880—and a passionate fan base, but they also have a Cubs-like losing streak. They've only won two top-division championships in 128 years, the last in 1968. And they have an inferiority complex after living in the shadow of that other Manchester team. It's a little like buying the Clippers. Maybe al-Fahim was just suckered by the word "Manchester" and its market presence. Can he convince us next that red is actually light blue?

At least Al-Fahim doesn't have to worry too much about being seen by City fans as an evil outsider—and an Arab to boot—grabbing the reins from Mancunians. He's taking over from Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted prime minister of Thailand, who has had $2 billion dollars in assets frozen while he faces corruption charges. Al-Fahim is a savior with golden promises.

He may, however, hear complaints about the inflation of transfer fees and player salaries in soccer. Fees shelled out by British clubs have ballooned over the last two years, and Man City will reportedly pay Robinho, who wanted more money from Real, over $8 million a year, which is a lot for a soccer player. Some think the players are holding teams hostage. "The players are in control and it's crazy,'" Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill said reportedly locked his team's president because he didn't want to be sent to a lesser club.

Of course, soccer is big business with a lot of pride at stake. Just look at China, where the government is trying to silence critics of its soccer team. Maybe instead they should buy a private club. How about Atletico Madrid? It's almost Real.

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