Manchester City representative joined government trade delegation to India this week
A Manchester City representative joined a government-backed trade delegation to India this week, travelling to Delhi and Mumbai on a trip organised by business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and attended by Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig. The invitation came after the club was found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League rules.
Bev Craig, Andy Burnham’s successor as Manchester mayor, took the club representative on the delegation where she and other northern mayors promoted British trade and tourism. City attended an event in Delhi aimed at promoting British tourism, and the visit formed part of a series of northern business engagements in India. City, which says it is innocent of the charges and has appealed against them, declined to comment.
Craig defended the decision to invite City and argued the club had contributed to local infrastructure, saying: “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,” she said. “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.”
The revelation of City’s participation in the delegation came as the prime minister, formerly mayor Andy Burnham, faced scrutiny over his contacts with the club. Downing Street said the prime minister had to clarify that he had attended two additional dinners with the club chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, at the Etihad Stadium after previously categorising them as matchday hospitality, and Burnham told MPs that no one from the club had raised the Premier League charges with him.
Greater Manchester mayoral authority releases showed the prime minister had held a formal meeting with al-Mubarak, spoken with him in the stands at a testimonial, and been accompanied by club staff on official overseas visits. The Sun later reported that Burnham had twice attended a pre-match dinner with the chair that was declared in now-deleted council paperwork, and No 10 said records are routinely deleted when a new mayor takes office.
Burnham’s initial public response to the Premier League findings drew comment after he said he would be “really concerned” if its Abu Dhabi owners sold the club, calling them a “huge partner in the building of modern Manchester”. Downing Street subsequently stated that where wrongdoing has been established those responsible should face the consequences. The Greater Manchester mayoral authority also said on Tuesday that representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would “routinely join business delegations” on international visits during Burnham’s time as mayor.
City travelled alongside other northern sports and leisure organisations on the delegation, including Lancashire cricket club and Visit Lake District; the Great North coalition, which organised the India event, said its aim was “to shine a spotlight on the great tourism products across the north of England”. Jonathan Reynolds, who took part in a Premier League event in Delhi meeting schoolchildren taught by British-trained coaches, rejected suggestions the charges had damaged the league’s reputation, saying: “The brand of the Premier League – one of the UK’s most important brands … that is incredibly powerful.” He added: “That’s a Greater Manchester issue, and obviously they are a major participant in the economy in Greater Manchester. “I understand the interest – the relationship between Manchester and Manchester City – but in terms of the allegations, their appeal, that is a football matter.”
City has appealed the Premier League’s finding of 114 breaches and has said it is innocent, a formal step the club has taken following the sanctions.