Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s owners decided to sell the club following the independent commission’s guilty verdict.
Burnham praised the wider contribution made by City’s ownership to Manchester and said he hoped that relationship would continue. His comments have prompted a fierce response from football writer Henry Winter.
Burnham backs City’s owners after verdict
Speaking to the BBC at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, Burnham was asked about the possibility of City’s Abu Dhabi ownership walking away.
“I would be really concerned to lose them,” he said.
The Prime Minister pointed to investment beyond Man City, including the Etihad campus and regeneration in east Manchester.
“I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn’t just put into the Etihad and the campus around it but also into the city,” Burnham added.
He described the ownership as a “huge partner” in the development of modern Manchester and City’s emergence as a global football force. Burnham also stressed that he wasn’t seeking to interfere with the disciplinary process and said City were entitled to appeal if they believed they had been treated unfairly.
Winter responded strongly on X, describing the Prime Minister’s comments as “astonishing” and “alarming”. He argued that Burnham should instead recognise the seriousness of the independent commission’s findings and the Premier League’s attempts to enforce its rules.
City reject the commission’s findings and intend to appeal. No sanction has yet been announced.
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