Andy Burnham’s Manchester City remarks reignite friction with Premier League
Andy Burnham’s intervention in the Manchester City controversy revived tensions between the Premier League and the prime minister after the league published a redacted 40-page version of an independent commission’s report on Tuesday within hours of Burnham’s first keynote speech as leader at the Labour party conference. Government officials were understood to be unhappy they were not given notice that the commission’s judgment would be published, and Burnham’s response has not gone down well with several Premier League clubs concerned by his relationship with City’s owners.
Government unease followed Burnham’s history of criticising the Premier League over its treatment of Everton after the club were docked 10 points — reduced to six on appeal — by an independent commission three years ago. In November 2023, when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham wrote to the Premier League chair, Alison Brittain, accusing the league of an “abuse of process” and claiming Everton were being used as “a pawn” in efforts to show an independent regulator was not required in football. The Premier League was unhappy with Burnham’s behaviour in 2023, particularly as his office posted on X two letters of complaint he sent to the league but did not publicise replies sent by Brittain that explained the competition’s financial regulations governance process. Everton have admitted breaching profitability and sustainability rules while contesting only the extent of the breach and sanction; Burnham said: “I remember people proclaiming Everton guilty at the time and, with hindsight, I think more people would say that wasn’t fair the way that was handled.”
The commission’s report levelled a damning judgment of £900m of financial manipulation and described “sham contracts”, and found City guilty of more than 100 breaches of financial rules. The Premier League published a redacted 40-page version of the commission’s report on Tuesday. Burnham warned he would be “really concerned” if City’s owners were forced to sell after that finding, while adding that he could not “intervene more in the process”, which remains subject to appeal.
Media reports in The Times and the Daily Mail said City’s appeal will be based on evidence the club claim proves that their sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government and not by the club; the commission rejected that argument as “untrue” in the first hearing. Paragraph 77 of the judgment states: “We concluded that it was an ‘explanation’ that the club had concocted well after the event in an attempt to obscure and conceal the realities of the Disguised Funding Scheme.”
Responsibility for City’s disciplinary outcome rests with an independent commission; pending its final judgment the owners’ suitability to remain running the club could be assessed by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), with no role for the Premier League or government. The IFR chief executive, David Kogan, has warned he will not tolerate political interference in his role, telling the Times last year that he would resign if he sensed government pressure.
Burnham’s past links with the club’s ownership have drawn scrutiny in the context of a £25bn annual UK-Abu Dhabi trading relationship. One of Burnham’s first calls after he succeeded Sir Keir Starmer in July was with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates and the ultimate owner of ADUG, the Abu Dhabi United Group associated with Manchester City.
Kogan confirmed the IFR was monitoring the City case and said the regulator has powers “to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives” to protect “honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals”. City’s owners are unlikely to fall foul of the licensing system that will be introduced next season, because that is an assessment of financial sustainability and separate from the new owners, directors and senior executives test, which the IFR uses to examine honesty and integrity.
City’s appeal is pending and the independent commission will make the final judgment; the IFR is monitoring the case and has the authority to assess owners’ suitability if the commission’s judgment is upheld. The Premier League and IFR declined to comment.