UK PM met Man City chairman during his role as Manchester mayor

LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at an investment summit several years ago when he was mayor of the city, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said on Monday.

The announcement comes after Burnham said he would be "really concerned" if City's owners sold the club following the decision to find the 10-time English champions guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules.

Burnham, who was mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to June 2026, faced criticism for appearing to express support for City's hierarchy.

Downing Street subsequently had to backtrack, insisting no one was "above the rules."

But there were demands for clarification regarding Burnham's relationship with City's owners, who have driven significant investment in Manchester through partnerships with local authorities.

City are owned by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family.

A Greater Manchester Combined Authority spokesman said: "In October 2021 Andy Burnham, in his role as mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government's Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.

"In his capacity as mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany's testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way."

The statement added that during Burnham's time as mayor "representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of mayoral international visits.

"This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan."

- 'LITTLE INFORMATION' -

City have been found guilty of breaking more than 100 Premier League financial regulations by arranging "sham" contracts to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs in a nine-season between 2009 and 2018.

The Premier League leaders have appealed against the verdict, saying it contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."

City could be hit with a huge points deduction or even face expulsion from the Premier League if they lose the appeal.

But Louie French, the opposition Conservatives spokesman for sport, said the statement contained "precious little information about these meetings, what was discussed and what may have been agreed."

It was far "from the full transparency that football fans deserve. Burnham cannot hide behind the GMCA - he must take responsibility for this himself", French added.--AFP