A Manchester City representative was reportedly part of a government trip to India last week, despite the club being found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules. The trip saw Manchester mayor Bev Craig, joined by a City representative, travel to Delhi and Mumbai to promote British trade and tourism.
Guilty verdict and appeal
Last month, it was announced that an independent panel had found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. A statement revealed that the panel had found the club had used 'sham' sponsorship deals to inflate their revenue by around £900 million.
City strongly deny the allegations and have appealed the decision. An appeal hearing with a new independent panel will now take place.
Mayor defends trip inclusion
Speaking to The Guardian about the decision to include a City representative in 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.
“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 punishments and political links
If the guilty verdict against City is upheld, they could face punishments including points deductions, fines, transfer bans, or even expulsion from the Premier League. Any potential sanctions are decided by the original panel that found City guilty of the charges.
Last week, the Manchester mayor's authority published details of the contacts between the former mayor of Manchester, and now Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, and City's owners. It showed a formal meeting with chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, as well as a chat during a testimonial game.
It also revealed that Burnham was joined by representatives of the club on official overseas visits.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s questions on Wednesday, Burnham confirmed that the issue of the Premier League charges had not been raised during any of the meetings.
The Prime Minister was criticised for his comments, saying that he would be 'really concerned' if the club's owners were forced to sell up amid the guilty charges. Downing Street later clarified the comments, saying that if the verdict is upheld, those responsible should face consequences.
