British Prime Minister charged for contacts with City owners

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will make public his contacts with Manchester City's owners while mayor of Greater Manchester amid investigations into the club's financial improprieties.

“I will make public all the information about how I collaborated with them when I was mayor of Greater Manchester. As for my meetings with them, they took place a long time ago. In fact, I only had one significant meeting, and that was in 2021. That is true, and I will make it all public,” Burnham was quoted as saying by ITV.

“As for the problems related to football, they are serious, they need to be solved. The independent process is taking its course. However, I believe that investment issues should be considered separately, because they are different things,” he added.

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.

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.