Premier League clubs express concern after PM's BBC remarks on Manchester City appeal
Some Premier League clubs have told BBC Sport they are concerned about potential political interference in Manchester City's independent appeal after Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC he would be "really concerned" if the club's owners sold up, sources said, following the guilty verdict announced last month. Sources described themselves as "astonished" by Burnham's comments and said they had raised questions about the independence of the process.
Burnham served as mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 until he became prime minister this summer, and clubs told BBC Sport they believed his interview with the BBC appeared to downplay the verdict against Manchester City. Senior figures said the remarks left the Independent Football Regulator in a difficult position and prompted demands from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for No 10 to release all details of meetings between the prime minister and senior club figures. Downing Street later clarified that Burnham's view is that no-one is "above the rules", but some senior Labour figures expressed unease about the impact of his initial comments with voters.
Senior club sources used strong language to describe the interview, calling it "absolutely bizarre" and saying it was "at best naive and at worst quite manipulative, and that is not a good look"; other sources described the comments as "clumsy" or said the prime minister had "misspoken". The entire process involving the charges against Manchester City is independent of the Premier League, and an independent commission held a 42-day hearing in 2024 that led to the verdict announced last month. The club continues to deny any wrongdoing.
One senior club source acknowledged the political sensitivities around the situation, saying: "Everyone would have a degree of concern. How much would depend on how much you read into that comment. "I think everyone is concerned. Because no-one is stupid around the table. We understand the geopolitics as well. We understand the investment they have made in our country. I don't think anyone could doubt that or criticise that. But this is different, this is sport, this is our national game." Another club source said the current level of scrutiny made any interference unlikely.
Those concerns are amplified by the overlap between Burnham's time as mayor and Manchester City's period of success: he was mayor for nine years from 2017 until earlier this year and, as mayor, he promoted Gulf investment as a means of economic growth for Manchester and the wider area. The article notes broader sensitivities for the UK, saying the country is eager to trade with the UAE and that the UAE is an important diplomatic ally in the region "at a time of turmoil and war".
When the guilty verdicts were announced, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the club had "systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade". In his interview with the BBC's political editor Chris Mason, Burnham drew a parallel with Everton and said he still held the view "firmly" that they "weren't fairly treated". Asked if he was concerned City owners would sell the club, Burnham said: "I would be really concerned to lose them." He added: "They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester and obviously the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is. "I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn't just put into the Etihad [Stadium] and the campus around it but also into the city," he added.
A No 10 spokesperson subsequently sought to clarify the prime minister's remarks, saying: "As the prime minister made clear, the initial judgement is serious and there can't be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules. He also stressed that it is an ongoing independent process. It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected. "If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences." The statement was later amended after criticism over the use of the word "if", which was changed to "wherever". The piece also notes the Premier League is regarded by governments as one of the country's major cultural exports and that ministers do not want the dispute to damage that brand; it adds that Burnham is an Everton season ticket holder and, like his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, has been unable to sit in his usual stadium seat because of security concerns, and that he recently floated lifting the ban on drinking in stands before it was clarified that this was not government policy.
A sanctions hearing remains to be held and a separate independent appeal board will hear Manchester City's appeal.
