Burnham Defends Man City Owners Despite Guilty Verdict in Financial Case

Prime Minister Mayor Andy Burnham has defended Manchester City’s owners, saying he would be “really concerned” if they decided to sell the club following the Premier League’s financial-rule case against City.

Burnham praised the City Football Group and its wider ownership for investing heavily in Manchester since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008.

He said their contribution went beyond Manchester City and included investment around the Etihad Stadium and in the wider city.

“I would be really concerned to lose them,” Burnham told the BBC on Wednesday. “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.”

His comments come after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against the club by the Premier League.

City have denied wrongdoing and are expected to appeal the findings. The club has until 2 October to submit an appeal.

Among the commission’s findings was that City had arranged what it described as “sham contracts” with commercial partners as part of a scheme involving more than £830m in undisclosed funding.

The Premier League said the club had “systematically broken” its rules over nearly a decade.

City could now face a range of sanctions, although no final punishment has been decided. Possible consequences include a substantial fine, a points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League. Any sanction could also be subject to appeal.

The Independent Football Regulator has said the case raises “serious issues” and indicated that it could consider whether the owners should retain their licence to own the club once the disciplinary process has concluded.

Burnham said he remained confident that his own dealings with Manchester City’s owners during his time as mayor would withstand scrutiny.

He also pointed to Everton’s previous experience with the Premier League’s financial rules. Everton were deducted 10 points in November 2023 after being found to have breached financial regulations, although the punishment was later reduced to six points following an appeal.

Burnham, who supports Everton, said his experience of that case made him cautious about rushing to judgement over Manchester City.

“It’s frustrating when people rush to judgement,” he said, adding that there was “a lot at stake” for City supporters, the club and Manchester itself.

The Manchester City case is not yet concluded, with appeals and a separate sanctions process still to come.