Andy Burnham warns Manchester City ownership change would be ‘catastrophic’

Andy Burnham says he would be “extremely concerned” if Manchester City’s owners were forced to sell the club following the verdict in the Premier League’s 115 financial-rule charges against them.

An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of most of the allegations. The club is expected to appeal before the 2 October deadline and continues to deny any wrongdoing.

The commission found that Manchester City had entered into “sham contracts” with several commercial partners as part of a scheme to conceal more than £830m in secret funding. The Premier League said the club had “systematically breached the league’s rules for nearly a decade”.

The case has also raised “serious issues” for the Independent Football Regulator, which was established by the government in 2025. It said it would consider the available options, including withdrawing the club’s ownership licence, once the disciplinary process has concluded.

A commission hearing to determine the punishment is expected to last several months. Potential sanctions range from a substantial fine and a points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League. The club could also be stripped of the eight titles it won during the period covered by the case.

Burnham praises City owners’ investment

Asked by BBC political editor Chris Mason on Wednesday whether he was concerned that Manchester City’s owners could sell the club, Burnham said: “I’d be extremely concerned about losing them.”

Burnham, who was Mayor of Greater Manchester until June, added: “They have been a key partner in building modern Manchester, and certainly in building Manchester City into the global force it is today.”

“I’d like to express my huge thanks to City Football Group and the other owners for the money they have put not only into the Etihad Stadium and the surrounding campus, but into the whole city,” he said.

Burnham also said he was “absolutely” confident that his dealings with the club’s owners during his time as mayor would withstand scrutiny.

The club has been owned since 2008 by a group led by Sheikh Mansour, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Burnham said the owners had invested heavily in Manchester.

The mayor spoke from Hill Dickinson Stadium, home of Everton, the club he supports. Everton themselves were punished for a financial-rule breach in November 2023, when they were charged and deducted 10 points. That sanction was reduced to six points on appeal.

“I defended Everton in that situation because I still strongly believe they were not treated fairly,” Burnham said. “People were condemning Everton at the time, but looking back, I think many would say the way it was handled was not fair.”

He added: “It is frustrating when people rush to judgement. There is a lot at stake for Manchester City supporters, the club and the city itself, but it would be wrong for me to intervene.”

Manchester City said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the Premier League commission’s opinion and maintained its innocence over all the allegations.