UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to publish details of his meetings with senior Manchester City officials following criticism of his response to the club being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
Burnham’s comments came after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for the release of records of meetings between the prime minister and representatives of the club, whose ownership is linked to Abu Dhabi.
An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching financial regulations over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The findings included allegations that the club used “sham” contracts with commercial partners to channel more than £830m into its football operations.
Burnham’s previous position as mayor of Greater Manchester has also drawn scrutiny over his relationship with the club’s ownership. Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast, Burnham said he was willing to disclose details of his meetings during his time as mayor.
“I’ve been asked by the leader of the opposition to publish details of my meetings, which I’m happy to do and I’m going to,” he said.
He added that the meetings took place in his previous role and were not recent. Burnham identified one significant meeting in 2021. The controversy intensified after Burnham told the BBC he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s owners decided to sell the club following the guilty verdict.
He later rejected suggestions that his reaction had downplayed the seriousness of the commission’s findings. However, some Premier League clubs reportedly expressed concern about his comments. Sources told BBC Sport that several clubs were “astonished” by his stance and worried about possible political interference in the appeal process.
Manchester City have appealed the verdict, and sanctions have yet to be announced. The case has attracted significant attention because of the scale and duration of the alleged financial breaches and the potential consequences for the club.
City returned to action after the verdict with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, as the wider dispute over the commission’s findings continued.
