Burnham’s City intervention deepens Premier League tensions over verdict

Andy Burnham’s public defence of Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners has sharpened tensions between the Premier League, several clubs and the government following an independent commission’s finding that City committed more than 100 financial-rule breaches.

The Premier League released a redacted, 40-page version of the commission’s judgment on Tuesday. Government officials were understood to be unhappy that they had not been given advance notice of its publication. Burnham, speaking in interviews the following day, said he would be “really concerned” if City’s owners were forced to sell, while acknowledging that he could not intervene in the process.

Appeal and ownership scrutiny remain separate

City’s disciplinary case remains subject to appeal and is in the hands of an independent commission. Reports in The Times and the Daily Mail said the club intends to argue that sponsorship payments came from the Abu Dhabi government rather than from the club. The commission rejected that account, describing it as “untrue” and saying the explanation had been “concocted well after the event” to conceal the realities of what it called the Disguised Funding Scheme.

Separately, the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) could assess whether the owners are suitable to continue running the club. Its chief executive, David Kogan, has said the regulator has powers to examine owners, directors and executives where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing and to protect the “honesty and integrity of English football”. The Premier League has no role in that assessment, and the government is not part of the commission’s disciplinary process.

Burnham revisits Everton dispute

Burnham also renewed his criticism of the Premier League’s handling of Everton’s financial-rule case. In November 2023, when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, he accused the league of an “abuse of process” after Everton received a 10-point deduction, later reduced to six on appeal. Everton had admitted breaching profitability and sustainability rules, disputing the scale of the breach and the sanction.

“I remember people proclaiming Everton guilty at the time and, with hindsight, I think more people would say that wasn’t fair the way that was handled,” Burnham said. “I still hold the view very firmly that they weren’t fairly treated in that process.” His comments have drawn concern from clubs wary of his relationship with City’s owners and his praise for their investment in Manchester. The Premier League is not planning to respond publicly.

The IFR has said it is monitoring the City case. Its ownership assessment is distinct from the financial-sustainability licensing system due to be introduced next season. The case may therefore become an early test of how the regulator exercises its powers amid political attention and scrutiny of the club’s ownership.