New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Seemingly Trolls Man City for Guilty Charges

Man City rival fans are relishing on their precarious situation after being found guilty of breaching financial rules, even politicians.

Zohran Mamdani still has time to keep up with the biggest news in soccer. | Stephanie Augello/Getty Images

New York City Mayor and notable Arsenal fan Zohran Mamdani took to social media to seemingly poke fun at Manchester City being found guilty of major financial rule breaches.

Man City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them for breaking Premier League financial rules following an investigation that lasted over three years. City maintain they are innocent of any wrongdoing and are expected to appeal the significant punishments that will surely follow.

Still, rival clubs and fans had a field day on social media when the verdict was reported on Friday, Sept. 25. Among them was Mamdani, who found the time to share a simple yet telling post on his personal X account acknowledging the biggest story in soccer right now.

114

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 25, 2026

“114” was all Mamdani needed to write for soccer fans to clearly take it as a jab aimed at City’s direction. The post immediately went viral and has over 20 million views in a little over a day since it was posted.

It’s long been known that Mamdani is a passionate soccer fan, but him trolling City can be better explained when taking in consideration which team he supports.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and His Fervent Arsenal Fandom

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a passionate Arsenal fan. | Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images

Mamdani’s soccer fandom spans his entire life. Recently, he revealed to The Athletic that he used to play as a defender, peaking as a high-school senior, and that he spent countless hours trying to hone his skills as a tactician playing the popular game Football Manager.

But above all else comes Arsenal, the team he’s supported since his uncle introduced him to the team during the 1990s. His allegiance to the Gunners clearly explains why he’d go out of his way to poke fun at City, one of if not the greatest rivals of Mikel Arteta’s current side.

Mamdani’s Arsenal fandom is so intense that he even wore a club-themed kurta when he attended New York City’s Eid al-Adha celebrations this past May. He also wore an Arsenal scarf soon after the club won the 2025–26 Premier League title.

“As an Arsenal fan, I’m still struggling to process that this is actually happening,” Mamdani said. “I spent a lot of hours at the end of the work day looking at every video I could find of everyone celebrating outside of Emirates Stadium.”

The New York City Mayor attended a watch party in a Brooklyn bar when Arsenal fell in the 2025–26 Champions League final. As painful as the defeat was, he quickly turned the page and even admitted which positions of the team he’d like to reinforce, telling The Athletic that he’d be excited to see Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi in north London.

Still, he has full faith in Arsenal’s current structure with him saying: “I trust Arteta and Andrea Berta to make the right calls.”

Mamdani will be hoping Arsenal are able to successfully defend their Premier League crown this season while at the same time keeping a close eye on what punishment Manchester City are given following this scandalous twist.

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