Andy Burnham's Manchester City Meetings Revealed Amid 'Cheat' Storm Row
Details of former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's engagements with Manchester City emerged after his recent remarks defending the club's owners sparked controversy.
Details of former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's meetings with Manchester City have been disclosed following his controversial comments supporting the club's Abu Dhabi owners amidst financial regulation breaches. Burnham held a formal meeting with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in October 2021 during a UK Government Global Investment Summit.
These engagements, released by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), also include informal chats with Mr. Al Mubarak at a testimonial match in September 2019 and Burnham's attendance at home matches as a guest of the club. Furthermore, representatives from Manchester City, alongside other local sports clubs like Manchester United and Lancashire Cricket Club, routinely joined mayoral overseas business delegations, including visits to China and Japan during Burnham's tenure.
The disclosures come after Burnham stated last month that he would be "really concerned" if Manchester City's owners were to sell the club, acknowledging their role as "a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester." Downing Street later clarified that the Prime Minister recognized the seriousness of the Premier League's findings against the club and that consequences should follow established wrongdoing.
The Premier League had previously found Manchester City guilty of numerous financial regulation breaches between 2009 and 2018, a period coinciding with significant on-field success. The club maintains its innocence and has appealed the verdict.
Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French criticized the transparency of the released information, stating that "precious little information" had been provided about the meetings and their discussions. French called for Burnham to be more forthcoming, questioning his "tight-lipped" stance and the "bizarre intervention" in defense of the club's owners. He urged the Prime Minister to clarify his own relationship with the City Football Group to allow public conclusions to be drawn.