Andy Burnham has faced criticism after saying he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners decided to sell the club.
The comments came after the prime minister was asked by the BBC about the possibility of City losing its owners following an independent commission ruling that found the club guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules.
City’s owners have denied the allegations and have said they will appeal.
The club has not yet been given a punishment, but potential sanctions could include a huge fine, a significant points deduction and having titles taken away.
When Burnham was asked whether he would be worried about the owners selling the club, he said: “I would be really concerned to lose them.”
Burnham was also questioned about his own dealings with Manchester City during his time as mayor, and whether they would now come under scrutiny.
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He said he had no concerns about that, adding: “Oh indeed. I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn’t just put into the Etihad and the campus around it but also into the city, but yes of course.”
He went on to praise their contribution to Manchester, saying: “They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is.”
Burnham also argued that “a lot at stake … for the football club, for city supporters, for the city of Manchester”.
Mothin Ali calls Burnham’s comments “staggering”
Those comments quickly drew criticism from political figures and people within football.
Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali said: “Andy Burnham’s comments are staggering, just one day after saying people should come before profit, he sides with big money over the integrity of a sport that belongs to the people.
“It’s a shame the prime minister appears to agree there should be one rule for the rich and one for everyone else.”
Football journalist Henry Winter also hit out at the prime minister, writing: “These are owners found guilty of serial breaches of the Premier League rule-book by three judges on an independent commission after a lengthy investigation.
“Come on, PM. Read the room.”
Journalist Duncan Castles, football pundit Stan Collymore and author and broadcaster Melissa Reddy also criticised Burnham’s comments through posts on X.
“For a PM, the day after a judgement by a respected panel to say ‘we can’t afford to lose City Group, they’ve put a lot into Manchester’ is missing the point so widely that he’s now going to be tagged as taking a side or grossly naive,” saying Collymore.
The comments went down well with one particularly famous Man City fan though…