Manchester City representatives joined a UK Government trade trip to India last week, despite the club being found guilty of 114 Premier League financial rule breaches. The trip to Delhi and Mumbai saw a club representative travel alongside Manchester mayor Bev Craig to promote British trade and tourism.
Guilty verdict and appeal
The Premier League announced that City had been found guilty by a three-person independent panel. The statement confirmed that 'sham' sponsorships had been used by the club between 2009 and 2018 to 'artificially inflate' their revenue by around £900 million.
City are appealing the verdict. A new three-person panel will again look at the evidence to determine if the original verdict is safe.
Mayor's response
Speaking to The Guardian regarding the decision to include a City representative on the trip, despite the verdict, Craig said: "If a football club has broken the rules, a football club should be punished for breaking the rules, and that is pretty clear in an independent process."
Craig added: "I think what can also be true at the same time though, if you ask residents in east Manchester, have they benefited from a new library, a new leisure centre, a new sixth-form college, infrastructure investment, the job opportunities that come from them being a good employment charter signee and an early adopter of the real living wage – then they will have felt that benefit."
Potential sanctions and political fallout
If the guilty verdict against City is upheld, they could face a range of penalties including points deductions, fines, transfer bans, or even expulsion from the Premier League. Any potential sanctions will be determined by the original panel that found City guilty of the charges.
Last week, the Greater Manchester mayor's authority released details of the contacts between former Manchester mayor and current Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and City's owners. These disclosed a formal meeting with chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, as well as a conversation during a testimonial match. It also emerged that Burnham was accompanied by club representatives on official overseas trips.
During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Burnham confirmed that the matter of the Premier League charges had not been raised at any of the meetings. The Prime Minister drew criticism for his remarks, in which he stated he would be 'really concerned' if the club's owners were compelled to sell up amid the guilty charges. Downing Street subsequently moved to clarify the comments, stating that if the verdict is upheld, those responsible should face consequences.
