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Prime Minister met Man City Chairman in 2021.
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Man City’s appeal to be heard in January.
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The Greater Manchester Combined Authority did not detail the meeting in 2017 and 2018.
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Verdict to be heard within 30days of the hearing ending.
October 14, (THEWILL) – The United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham has opened up on his meeting with Manchester City’s owners and directors after the club were found guilty of breaching Premier League rules.
Reports emerged on Monday that Burnham had two hospitality dinners with Man City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while he was the mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 and 2018.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) released a statement about his meetings with the Manchester City owner on Monday to counter the reports.
In the statement, it was confirmed that Burnham had a formal meeting with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at an investment summit in October 2021.
He also met with him in the stands at former City captain Vincent Kompany’s testimonial in 2019, and was accompanied by staff from the club on official overseas visits.
It was also mentioned in the statement that he was a guest of Man City at home on a smaller number of occasions.
However, The statement did not mention the two hospitality dinners he had with the Manchester City chairman at separate matches in 2017 and 2018.
Burnham has been under pressure since he expressed concern about Manchester City owners deciding to sell up after the club was found guilty of Premier League financial rule breaches.
Burnham was asked about the meetings during Prime Minister’s Questions by Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham).
The Prime Minister has now broken his silence on the meeting with Man City’s chairman, insisting that the club’s owner did not mention the charges when they met.
He said: “They did not raise those issues with me. I’m very happy, Mr Speaker, for everything to be set out in full.
“It is why I asked the Greater Manchester Combined Authority [GMCA], in response to a call from the Leader of the Opposition and others, to set out a full statement of my key dealings with the owners of Manchester City Football Club.
“That statement was published on Monday, and it includes the issues in the news today. That is the position.”
It would be recalled that Manchester City were found guilty of breaching 114 financial fair play rules between 2009 and 2018 in September.
The club filed an appeal on October 1, claiming they have “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence.”
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Meanwhile, The appeal is expected to be heard in January, according to the chair of English football’s independent regulator, David Kogan, in an interview with Times Radio on Wednesday.
He said: “The Premier League has said that they want to get this resolved within the season, and actually, of course, it’s not the Premier League; it’s an independent commission that’s actually going to hear this, made up of three retired judges or lawyers.
“My understanding is that there is a prescribed process, which is 12 weeks, and so people are assuming this will actually be heard by the middle or the end of January.
“But as I say, it’s not our process; it’s that of the Premier League’s independent commission. What I don’t think we can do is take any judgment until we’re quite clear.”
The same three-person panel which heard evidence at the 42-day hearing in 2024 and delivered its core decision two weeks ago will decide on sanctions.
The Premier League, as the prosecutor, will put forward their recommendation for suitable sanctions while City’s lawyers will make their case.
The verdict on the appeal will then be given to the two parties within 30 days of the hearing ending.
