Pressure is mounting on new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to disclose his dealings with Manchester City’s owners and representatives of Abu Dhabi after the club was found guilty of serious financial regulations breaches.
The Liberal Democrats intensified their criticism on Friday, demanding a full and immediate account of Burnham’s meetings and relationship with the club’s ownership, Abu Dhabi United Group and any related bodies.
The call follows comments made by Burnham earlier this week, in which he expressed concern that Manchester City’s owners could sell the club following the ruling. Burnham, who was Mayor of Greater Manchester from May 2017 until June 2026, described the owners as an “essential partner in building modern Manchester” and in “turning the club into a global force”.
According to Reuters, opposition parties regarded the remarks as an unjustified defence of a club found guilty of wrongdoing. They were made only hours after the ruling was issued.
In a strongly worded letter to the Prime Minister’s Office, Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokeswoman Anna Sabine said: “Football fans across the country deserve to know that the rules apply to everyone, regardless of their wealth or influence.”
She added: “When the Prime Minister rushes to defend the owners of a club just hours after a verdict has been delivered, people are entitled to question the nature of their relationship with him.
“Andy Burnham must come clean and publish details of every meeting and conversation he has had with City Football Group, Abu Dhabi United Group or representatives of the government of the United Arab Emirates since he became mayor – including any free hospitality he received.”
The political dispute comes as Manchester City appeals against the decision of an independent commission which found the club had committed serious breaches of Premier League financial regulations. The club is seeking to overturn the ruling and avoid potentially severe sanctions.
The Premier League revealed details of the case on Tuesday, saying Manchester City had used “sham” commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900m ($1.19bn) over a period of almost 10 years. Manchester City denies any wrongdoing.
The appeal has placed Burnham’s government in an awkward position. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said Manchester City must face the “appropriate consequences” if any breaches were established, in an attempt to contain the growing anger.
Louie French, the shadow sports minister, called on the government to “keep politics out of football” and to ensure the independent commission remained free from any “external influence”.
