Manchester has released data on Burnham's meetings with City owners

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has published information on its website about meetings between British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Manchester City Football Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in 2019 and 2021, when the politician served as mayor of the region.

Earlier, the English Premier League (EPL) confirmed that an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to violations of financial rules in the seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18, as well as the majority of charges of failure to cooperate with the investigation. The punishment will be determined at a separate hearing. The club, which publicly declared its innocence, filed an appeal on October 2. Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester from May 2017 to June 2026, has vowed to make public his contacts with City's owners.

“In October 2021, Burnham, as Mayor of Greater Manchester, held an official meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government's Global Investment Summit, organized by the Department for International Trade,” the statement said.

It is also reported that Burnham attended Manchester City home matches several times at the club's invitation. In September 2019, at Vincent Kompany's farewell match, he unofficially met Al Mubarak in the stands. The administration noted that these visits were declared in accordance with the established procedure. Manchester City staff also provided support during the mayor's delegations' trips to China and Japan.

In February 2023, the Premier League stated that Manchester City were accused of providing biased information about the club's income from the 2009/10 season to the 2017/18 season inclusive, incomplete information about bonuses to the manager and players, non-compliance with Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) licensing rules, financial fair play and league rules regarding profitability and sustainability.