Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has stated in an interview with the podcast "The Rest Is Politics" that he will disclose details of his meetings with Manchester City's senior management. This comes after an independent commission upheld all accusations against Manchester City for violating Premier League financial rules, leading to criticism of Burnham's previous comments on the matter.
An independent commission found that Manchester City violated rules over nine years, from 2009 to 2018, by secretly injecting over £830 million into the club's football operations through "fictitious" contracts with commercial partners. Burnham's past role as Mayor of Greater Manchester has led to scrutiny over his relationship with Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for Downing Street to release details of all meetings between the mayor and Manchester City's leadership.
Regarding the disclosure of meeting details, Burnham said: "The leader of the opposition has asked me to disclose the details of the meetings, and I am happy to do so. I will clearly disclose all aspects of my cooperation with them during my time as Mayor of Greater Manchester. In fact, these meetings are not recent. There was only one significant meeting, which took place in 2021."
After Manchester City was found guilty of rule breaches, Burnham initially told British media that he would be "very concerned" if Manchester City's owners decided to sell the club and withdraw their investment. He later denied that his response "played down the seriousness of the ruling."
However, some Premier League clubs were "shocked" by Burnham's stance. Sources told British media that these clubs were "concerned" that Manchester City's appeal process might be subject to political interference. Currently, no sanctions have been announced, and Manchester City has appealed the ruling. On Sunday, Manchester City played for the first time since the ruling was announced, securing a 3-0 away victory against Liverpool. Burnham served as Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 until earlier this year, a period during which Manchester City enjoyed sustained success.
During his tenure as mayor, Burnham actively promoted investment from the Gulf region to boost Manchester's economic development. This strategy had been initiated by Manchester's city leadership before he became the first elected Mayor of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Speaking about his previous comments concerning Manchester City's owners, Burnham said: "I don't think I said anything wrong. What I mean is, at the time, I didn't take all these issues into account. My focus was on the Labour Party conference, and the interviews at the time were centered on the conference. Moreover, I didn't connect the two things; it was the questions in the interview that connected them. I want to be clear that these two things are completely separate. Football-related issues and investment-related issues are two different matters. Some people will try to conflate the two, but in my opinion, that shouldn't happen. The football-level issues identified by the independent commission are serious, and I acknowledged that in that interview."
The entire proceedings regarding the allegations against Manchester City were conducted independently of the Premier League.
The independent commission held a 42-day hearing in 2024 and announced its ruling last month. Manchester City was found guilty of all charges except one related to non-cooperation with the Premier League's investigation. The commission stated in its report: "Several key witnesses for the club provided false testimony on crucial matters, with some making false and dishonest statements despite knowing them to be untrue."
Manchester City's appeal will be heard by another independent appeals committee. The club continues to deny any wrongdoing.
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