Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would be “really concerned” about the prospect of Manchester City’s owners leaving the club, praising their significant role in the development of the city. His comments come amid the ongoing fallout from Manchester City’s financial rule case, after the Premier League charged the club in February 2023 with alleged breaches of its financial regulations dating back to the 2009-10 season.
Burnham on the owners' role
Speaking to the BBC, Burnham stressed that he did not want to become directly involved in the proceedings but acknowledged the wider implications for the club and the city.
“I would be really concerned to lose them,” Burnham said. “They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester.
“Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is.”
Keeping his distance from the process
He added that he had not spoken directly to anyone involved and would maintain his distance from the legal process.
“I am not getting directly involved in the process. I’ve not spoken to anybody directly about that,” he told the BBC.
“I have to keep my distance from it. It would be wrong for me to do anything else. It’s an independent legal process that has to play its course through.
“There’s a lot at stake. Let’s be honest about that, for the football club, for City supporters, for the city of Manchester.”
Wider significance of the club
Burnham’s comments highlight the wider significance of Manchester City to the city itself, with the club’s transformation into a global footballing force becoming closely associated with Manchester’s international profile.
The Premier League said City had committed widespread financial rule violations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, involving what it described as ‘sham’ commercial arrangements allegedly used to conceal the source of funding.
Manchester City and the Premier League have released statements confirming that the club have been guilty of all charges “related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period”.
