Burnham Discloses Manchester City Contacts After Transparency Demand

Andy Burnham's contacts with Manchester City and its Abu Dhabi owners were disclosed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority after the prime minister said all of his dealings with the club's ownership would be published. The records detail meetings, match attendance and overseas visits involving club representatives.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority said Burnham, while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester, held a formal meeting with Manchester City chair Khaldoon al-Mubarak at the UK government's global investment summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.

The authority also said Burnham attended a small number of Manchester City home matches as a guest, including Vincent Kompany's testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the chairman informally in the stands.

"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 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.

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 staff supporting visits to China and Japan," a Greater Manchester Combined Authority spokesperson said.

Burnham previously said that his dealings with Manchester City's owners would be made public. His comments came after Manchester City were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, although the club maintains its innocence and has appealed the verdict.

"All of my dealings with Manchester City’s owners will be published," Burnham said.

Burnham also addressed the future of Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners after the financial regulations ruling. He said he would be concerned if they sold the club and credited them with helping develop modern Manchester.

"I would be really concerned if City’s Abu Dhabi owners sold the club," Burnham said.

"A huge partner in the building of modern Manchester," Burnham said.

The disclosure prompted criticism from shadow sports minister Louie French, who questioned whether the published information provided enough detail about the meetings and discussions.

"Far from the full transparency that football fans deserve," Louie French, shadow sports minister, said.

French said Burnham should personally explain the nature of his contacts with the club rather than relying on the combined authority's disclosure. He also raised concerns about Burnham's public comments regarding Manchester City's owners.

"Burnham cannot hide behind the GMCA – he must take responsibility for this himself. We have been given precious little information about these meetings, what was discussed and what may have been agreed. If Burnham has nothing to hide, why is he being so tight-lipped?

His bizarre intervention in defence of Man City’s owners has raised serious concerns among fans. It’s time for the prime minister to come clean about his relationship with City Football Group so the public can make their own conclusions," French said.