Andy Burnham Voices Concern Over Potential Manchester City Ownership Exit
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would be deeply concerned if Manchester City’s ownership were to leave the club in the aftermath of the independent commission’s guilty verdict on Premier League financial-rule breaches.
Burnham, formerly mayor of Greater Manchester, stressed that he would not intervene in the case, which remains open while City prepare an appeal. But he praised City Football Group’s investment in both the club and the wider area, saying the ownership had played an important part in Manchester’s development as well as City’s rise into a major global force.
Asked whether he feared a sale, Burnham said he would be “really concerned” to see the group depart. He also said his own dealings with the club during his time as mayor could withstand scrutiny, pointing to investment beyond the Etihad Stadium and the surrounding training-campus development.
“I have to keep my distance from it,” Burnham said of the disciplinary process. “It would be wrong for me to do anything else.” He added that the case carried major consequences for Manchester City, their supporters and the city itself.
Regulator could examine ownership
The Independent Football Regulator’s chair, David Kogan, said the commission’s findings created serious concerns, while making clear that the regulator would wait for the ongoing proceedings between City and the Premier League to develop before acting.
Kogan said the IFR can review whether owners, directors and senior executives are suitable to hold their positions, particularly where there is clear evidence of individual wrongdoing. The regulator may take account of conclusions reached by football competitions in carrying out those assessments, with its stated purpose being to protect the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football.
Its most severe statutory options include removing directors or officers from club boards and requiring an owner to dispose of a club. Those measures would only become a potential issue if the appeal process broadly supports the original commission’s findings.
City have said they will appeal, describing the decision as unsafe and alleging material mistakes in law, principle and fact. Chief executive Ferran Soriano told staff in a video message that the commission had accepted what he called the Premier League’s “conspiracy theory.”
The commission found that City had deliberately sought to evade league rules over nine seasons through commercial arrangements it described as sham deals. It concluded that a concealed funding arrangement saw Abu Dhabi-based companies provide only part of sums declared in City’s accounts, with Abu Dhabi United Group, through which Sheikh Mansour owns the club, paying the remainder.
That arrangement was found to have increased reported revenue by more than £830 million ($1.1 billion) from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The findings also included nearly £74 million ($98 million) of overstated image-rights income and almost £17 million ($23 million) of understated staff-contract liabilities.
The commission further concluded that City had made sustained attempts to obstruct and frustrate the Premier League’s investigation. The same panel will now determine the sanction, with possible sporting penalties ranging from a substantial points deduction to expulsion from the competition.
Other Premier League clubs have reportedly contacted the league to press for the matter to be resolved before the season ends.
Former City manager Pep Guardiola, who departed after last season having won six Premier League titles with the club, publicly backed City on Wednesday. In a message issued through the Pep Team account on X, Guardiola said he stood with the owners, chairman, Soriano, players, staff, coach Enzo and supporters, adding that the club would come through the situation together.
