Sailish Parekh stands behind the counter of his fish-and-chip shop near the Etihad Stadium, in Manchester, central England on October 8, 2026. Parekh says the transformation of east Manchester over the past two decades has been remarkable. Manchester City "has not only just been a football club for the area. It's a bit of a saviour, to be honest," he told AFP. Before City, now embroiled in the biggest financial scandal to hit football's cash-rich Premier League, moved to the area it was "very deprived" with high rates of unemployment, he said. (Photo by Mark Naftalin / AFP via Getty Images)