Downing Street has weighed in after Andy Burnham’s comments on Manchester City’s Premier League financial case triggered a backlash, making clear that nobody involved should be viewed as sitting “above the rules”.
The intervention came a day after Burnham said he would be “really concerned” if City’s owners chose to sell the club following the guilty verdict delivered by an independent commission.
Those remarks drew criticism from the Conservatives and caused surprise in some football quarters, prompting No. 10 to clarify its position on Thursday.
“As the Prime Minister made clear, the initial judgement is serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“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.
“Wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.”
City deny any wrongdoing and have until Friday to submit an appeal against the commission’s findings.
The Premier League said this week that the club “systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade”, with the independent commission finding that City arranged “sham contracts” with commercial partners as part of a scheme involving more than £830m in disguised funding.
Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester until June, discussed the verdict during a BBC interview on Wednesday. He stressed that he had no desire to interfere with the Premier League’s disciplinary process and pointed out that City continue to contest the findings.
He said it would be “wrong” to “jump to a conclusion” while the process is still running.
Asked about the prospect of the club’s owners selling up as a consequence of the case, however, Burnham highlighted what they have contributed to Manchester since taking control in 2008.
“I would be really concerned to lose them,” Burnham said.
“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 can’t intervene more in the process, it would be wrong for me to do that.”
City have been owned by Sheikh Mansour since 2008. He is a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family and serves as deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
With City facing a Friday deadline to decide whether to challenge the commission’s findings, the row has placed the club’s case firmly at the meeting point of football governance and national politics.
