Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham with Man City logo also shown
Action Images via Reuters/John Clifton
The footballing world awaits in eager anticipation to find out just what will happen to Manchester City. An independent commission has found the club guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, and big sanctions are expected.
There has been talk that the Abu Dhabi owners should be forced to sell the club, with Gary Neville among the biggest names to back the notion. However, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently claimed he would be 'really concerned' to see that happen. The former mayor of Greater Manchester said:
Statement Made on Burnham’s Man City Meetings
Andy Burnham glancing to his left
Action images via Reuters/ John Clifton
There are those, however, who have been strongly critical of his comments. Many feel there is a conflict of interest when club owner Sheikh Mansour is known to have put significant financial investment into Manchester while Burnham was mayor between 2017 and the summer of 2026.
As per the Guardian, one Burnham ally said it was 'absolutely mad' for the prime minister to comment and risk being seen to be influencing a disciplinary process, describing it as his [biggest mistake so far.'
Following this, details have now emerged of Burnham’s meetings with the Man City owners in recent times. As quoted by Manchester World, a Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) spokesman said:
A mural of the list of trophies won by Manchester City near the stadium
A mural of the list of trophies won by Manchester City near the stadium
Criticism for Burnham Amid Calls For Man City 'Transparency'
Manchester City
Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Despite these details emerging, shadow sports minister Louie French has called for more specifics to be revealed. He claimed that this was “far from the full transparency that football fans deserve," adding:
Man City have appealed the guilty verdict, and it will take up to 12 weeks before the process is concluded. It's unclear how long it will be before the sanctions, if any, are revealed by the independent commission and put into action.