Man City not 'above the rules', says No 10 after backlash to Burnham remarks — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Downing Street issued a clarification after Andy Burnham's remarks, stating there 'can't be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules' and that those responsible 'should face the appropriate consequences.'
- Burnham told BBC political editor Chris Mason he would be 'really concerned' to lose City's owners — led by Sheikh Mansour since 2008 — saying they had been 'a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester.'
- Tory shadow minister Louie French accused Burnham of 'publicly backing the owners even as the investigation continues,' while Lib Dem MP Anna Sabine said Burnham should remember he is 'prime minister for everyone, not just Manchester.'
- Manchester City deny any wrongdoing and have until Friday to submit an appeal; BBC Sport sources say the club will argue key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government rather than its owners.
- The independent commission found City arranged 'sham contracts' with commercial partners to disguise more than £830m in secret funding, with the Premier League stating City 'systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.'
- Commons Treasury committee chair Dame Meg Hillier wrote to HMRC on Thursday asking for reassurance it had 'seized of the importance' of the case for potential tax implications.
- Independent Football Regulator chairman David Kogan said the case had raised 'serious issues' and that the IFR 'has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives' and will use them 'where appropriate.'
Why it matters: The PM's direct intervention — and the speed of the No 10 walk-back — makes this a politically charged regulatory matter, not just a sporting one, with Burnham's documented ties to City's ownership now under cross-party scrutiny. Separately, the Treasury committee's HMRC referral opens a tax-compliance front that runs alongside any sporting sanction.
Ask SkimNews
