Andy Burnham has been criticised after saying he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners sold the club, shortly after the Premier League confirmed that the club had been found to have committed serious financial breaches.
The Greater Manchester mayor said the City Football Group had been “such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester” and had helped turn Manchester City into “the global force that it is”. His comments prompted accusations that he was prioritising investment over the integrity of English football.
The Premier League said the club had used a series of “sham” deals and contracts that misled it over more than £900 million in sponsorship arrangements during a nine-year period. Chief executive Richard Masters described the alleged rule-breaking as systematic and the Independent Commission’s decision as the most significant in the competition’s history.
Calls have since been made for Manchester City to face fines, relegation or expulsion from the top flight, while others have argued that the Abu Dhabi ownership group should leave. Burnham, however, adopted a more cautious position and stressed that the case remained subject to appeal.
Speaking at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, Burnham said: “I would be really concerned to lose (Man City’s Abu Dhabi owners). They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester and obviously the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is.”
He added: “I can’t intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that. It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all of the detail, but obviously it’s ongoing, and because it’s still contested by Manchester City, then I think it’s right that I don’t say much more.”
Burnham also said he was grateful for money invested not only in the Etihad Stadium and surrounding campus but in Manchester itself. His remarks drew a sharp response from former footballer Stan Collymore, who described the comments as “tone deaf” and said they demonstrated the power of sports-washing.
Rio Ferdinand said Burnham was “on the back foot referencing Manchester City”, while other social media users accused him of political interference and suggested his words could influence the work of the Government’s proposed football regulator.
Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali said Burnham’s comments were “staggering”, adding that the mayor appeared to be siding with big money over the integrity of a sport “that belongs to the people”. Manchester City supporter Liam Gallagher, however, praised Burnham, writing: “There’s only 1 ANDY BURNHAM”.
Burnham said his caution was shaped by Everton’s own experience. The club was charged with breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations in 2023 and received a 10-point deduction, later reduced to six on appeal.
“Everton was in this position a few years ago and you might remember that I fought for Everton in that situation because I still hold the view very firmly that they weren’t fairly treated in that process,” he said.
“So it would be wrong of me to leap to one side given the experience that I’d had before becoming prime minister.”
Manchester City continues to deny wrongdoing. Chief executive Ferran Soriano told club staff that the organisation had “irrefutable evidence” of its innocence and would use it to challenge what he called the Premier League’s “conspiracy theory”.
The club has until October 2 to appeal the verdict. The Independent Football Regulator and the Football Association are expected to assess the findings once the sanctioning and appeals process has concluded.
