After joining the Blues from Chelsea for £6m, it seemed Ben Haim's career was to be resurrected.

But now the Israeli international could fall foul of City's new Arab owners, should they wish to take the team on a tour of their home country, the United Arab Emirates.

For the country has a strict border policy that doesn't allow Israelis to visit and could see Ben Haim - who still holds an Israeli passport - left behind.

A spokesman from the United Arab Emirates embassy in London said: "An Israeli citizen would not be allowed into the United Arab Emirates because there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries."

Meanwhile, mystery surrounds the religious identity of new Manchester City signing, Gláuber Berti.

On Wikipedia, the Brazilian footballer - full name Gláuber Leandro Honorato Berti - is said to be Jewish.

However, this has not yet been verified and no-one at Manchester City could comment.

The 25-year-old defender was bought from FC Nuremburg on a one-year contract. Due to his Italian ancestry, he currently owns an Italian passport.