UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at an investment summit while he was mayor of Greater Manchester, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said on Monday. The meeting took place several years ago.
The disclosure follows Burnham’s comments that he would be “really concerned” if City’s owners sold the club. His remarks came after the Premier League club was found guilty of breaking the league’s financial rules. City have 10 English league titles.
Burnham’s remarks drew criticism and a Downing Street response
Burnham, who was mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to June 2026, faced criticism for appearing to back City’s leadership. Downing Street later moved to clarify his position, insisting that no one was “above the rules”.
There were also calls for clarity about Burnham’s relationship with City’s owners. The club is owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, which is controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates’ royal family. The owners have invested heavily in Manchester through partnerships with local authorities.
What the combined authority said about the meetings
A spokesman for the combined authority said Burnham had a formal meeting with Al Mubarak in October 2021. The meeting was held at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit, which was arranged by the Department for International Trade.
The spokesman added that, as mayor, Burnham attended City home matches on a small number of occasions. These included Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he spoke informally with the chairman in the stands. The spokesman said these visits had been declared in the usual way.
The statement also said sports clubs from the region routinely joined business delegations on mayoral trips abroad. It named representatives from Manchester United, who travelled to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club, which joined a delegation to India, and Manchester City staff, who supported visits to China and Japan.
Opposition demands fuller disclosure of City meetings
Louie French, the opposition Conservatives’ spokesman for sport, said the statement offered “precious little information about these meetings, what was discussed and what may have been agreed”. He said it fell short of the transparency football fans deserved.
French added that Burnham “cannot hide behind the GMCA” and must take responsibility himself. The club has been found guilty of breaking more than 100 Premier League financial regulations. The league said City arranged “sham” contracts to inflate revenues and reduce costs between 2009 and 2018.
City have appealed the verdict, arguing it contains “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”. If the appeal fails, the club could face a large points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.
