Opening Whistle 9-12-08

The editor of BBC Sport chimes in on foreign ownership in the Premier League. [Mihir Rose via Global Futbol]

Abu Dhabi United Group address Man City fans. Hilarity ensues. [Deuce of Davenport]

Protests! Yay! [EPL Talk]

Schelotto probably won't play for the Crew on Saturday, but at least we didn't hear it from his mom. [Covering the Crew]

What the hell is Schalke's mascot? [The Best Eleven]

Manchester City is not the new Leeds

This is what happens when you freeze a stranger's assets

I can't prove it, but I have reason to believe people are dancing in the streets of the sky-blue section of Manchester: Abu Dahbi United Group has purchased the team from Thai former prime minster Thaksin Shinawatra. I knew something had to be going on after the purchase of Shaun Wright-Philips; a man with frozen assets doesn't deal with a Russian oligarch if he puts any value on his life. Anyway, the UAE corporation has purchased the team for 150 million pounds and like all new owners, expects the club to be in Champions League by tomorrow. These new guys aren't just all talk, though, as they're already spitting in big brother United's face and offering more than 30 million pounds for Berbatov. Marc Stein was unavailable for comment as he is currently too drunk to speak in complete sentences.*

*Not really

UPDATE: Tottenham have accepted City's bid for Berbatov