The UK government has clarified its stance on Manchester City's financial rule breaches, stating that the club is not "above the rules." This comes after Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, faced criticism for his comments on the matter. Burnham had expressed concerns about the potential loss of the club's owners, Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi government, and suggested that he would not intervene in the process. His remarks were met with backlash from the Tories and the football community.
Burnham's comments were branded "completely out of touch" and "extraordinary" by the Tories, who accused him of "publicly backing the owners even as the investigation continues." The Shadow Minister for Sport, Louie French, called for the government to "keep politics out of football and ensure the Premier League's independent commission can do its job free of outside influence." The Lib Dem MP Anna Sabine also criticized Burnham, saying that fans of every club deserve to know that the rules apply to everyone.
Downing Street attempted to clarify the Prime Minister's position, stating that he had made clear "the initial judgement is serious and there can't be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules." A No 10 spokesperson added that the Prime Minister stressed that it is an ongoing independent process and that the outcome should be respected. The spokesperson also emphasized that wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.
Manchester City deny any wrongdoing and have until Friday to submit an appeal. Sources told BBC Sport that City are expected to claim that key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than the club's owners, as part of an appeal. The independent panel that found City guilty of rule breaches will hold a sanctions hearing to decide the punishment, which could include a huge fine or points deduction.
The Premier League says City "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade." Among the independent panel's findings were that City arranged "sham contracts" with a number of commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830m. The chairwoman of the Commons Treasury committee, Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, wrote to HMRC to ask for reassurance that it had "seized of the importance" of the case for any potential tax implications.
The Chairman of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), David Kogan, said the case had raised "serious issues." He added that the IFR "has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate," while "taking account of the findings made by the Leagues." A former chairman of Man City and the Football Association, David Bernstein, expressed concern about Burnham's comments, saying that it is absolutely vital that the independent regulator can perform independently and without political interference.
The case has sparked widespread shock in football about the scale of the independent commission's findings and the strength of Premier League comments about City's actions. Manchester City have maintained their innocence of all the accusations made. The sanctions hearing could take months to convene, and the outcome will have significant implications for the club and the wider football community.
Key points
- The UK government has clarified that Manchester City are not "above the rules" after Andy Burnham's comments sparked backlash.
- Manchester City deny any wrongdoing and have until Friday to submit an appeal.
- The case has raised "serious issues" about the suitability of owners, directors, and executives in football.
