Andy Burnham’s dealings with Man City owners revealed amid scandal over 114 charges

City were found guilty of 114 financial charges on September 25 by an independent commission over allegations covering the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons.

Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Mr Burnham confirmed: “All of my dealings will be published this afternoon in relation to any meetings with the owners of Manchester City.”

Shortly afterwards, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority released details of his interactions with the club during his nine years as mayor.

A spokesman revealed that in October 2021, Mr Burnham held a formal meeting with City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit, organised by the Department for International Trade.

Mr Burnham was also a “guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions”, including Vincent Kompany’s testimonial, where he was pictured meeting Mr Al Mubarak in the stands.

According to The Times, Mr Burnham attended three football matches in his capacity as mayor, as well as an Ed Sheeran concert.

The spokesman added: “Also during his 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.”

The disclosure comes after Mr Burnham, who served as Mayor of Greater Manchester between 2017 and 2026, praised City’s owners for “the money that they didn’t just put into the Etihad [Stadium] and the campus around it but also into the city”.

His remarks prompted a swift clarification from No10 and raised eyebrows given his previous appearances alongside Mr Al Mubarak at the Etihad Stadium.

Kemi Badenoch insisted the Prime Minister “should” release details of his dealings with the club, while Reform UK’s Lee Anderson said it was “important” for Mr Burnham to be open and transparent.

The fallout from City’s case has also threatened to develop into a wider diplomatic headache for the Government.

Bloomberg reported that United Arab Emirates officials warned “the Premier League’s actions” could “have an influence on the bilateral state relationship” with Britain.

According to The Telegraph, the UAE also threatened to pull funding for a Silicon Valley-style Oxbridge tech hub.

The Premier League initially brought 115 charges against City for alleged breaches of its financial rules.

The case led to a 42-day hearing involving 7,000 pages of witness evidence following an eight-year investigation.

Of the 115 charges, the independent commission upheld 114.

The commission found that City had breached major financial rules, including through sponsorship arrangements it described as part of a “disguised funding scheme”.

It repeatedly described sponsorship arrangements as “sham” and found that the club had inflated revenue and concealed expenses to the tune of £900million over a nine-year period.

City confirmed on October 1 that they had lodged an appeal, saying their “firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact and is unsafe”.

The club continues to vehemently deny wrongdoing and insists it has “irrefutable evidence” to support its case.

A separate Appeal Board will now consider City’s challenge under Premier League rules.

The rules require a hearing within 12 weeks of an appeal being lodged, although the final timetable and outcome remain uncertain.

Any punishment will be dealt with separately.

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