Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would be "really concerned" if Manchester City's owners were forced out following the club's guilty verdict on 114 Premier League financial rule breaches, but insists he will keep his distance from the process.
City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League. An independent commission ruled they had broken the league's financial rules, arranging "sham" contracts to disguise secret funding of more than £830 million over a nine-year period.
City continue to plead their innocence and plan to appeal against the verdict. The Independent Football Regulator has threatened to turn its attention to the "suitability" of the club's owners, putting the Abu Dhabi United Group and Sheikh Mansour in the spotlight.
Burnham's Everton comparison
Asked for his opinion in an interview with the BBC, Burnham, an Everton fan, compared the case with Everton's six-point deduction for breaking the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
"I remember people proclaiming Everton guilty at the time, and you know, with hindsight, I think more people would say that wasn't fair the way that was handled," he said. "So it would be wrong of me to leap to one side given the experience that I'd had before becoming prime minister."
Burnham, who previously served as Mayor of Manchester, also acknowledged the club's owners' contributions to the city. "I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn't just put into the Etihad and the campus around it but also into the city," he said.
Owners' role in modern Manchester
He added: "I would be really concerned to lose them. 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.
"I can't intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that. It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all of the detail, but obviously it's ongoing, and because it's still contested by Manchester City, then I think it's right that I don't say much more."
Appeal deadline looms
City have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. They have until October 2 to submit an official appeal.
Burnham refused to offer his opinion on the verdict, given the process is likely to remain ongoing. "I have to keep my distance from it," he said. "It would be wrong for me to do anything else. It's an independent legal process that has to play its course through.
"So for the reasons I gave at the start, you know, I was involved in one myself in relation to Everton. I think it's frustrating when people rush to judgment and proclaim people with guilty. I think the thing has to be allowed to run its course."
