The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has disclosed details of Andy Burnham's contacts with Manchester City and its Abu Dhabi owners, including a formal meeting with Khaldoon al-Mubarak in October 2021.
The disclosure comes as Manchester City remains under scrutiny after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 and while the club is appealing that finding. It also adds more clarity to Burnham's relationship with the club at a time when his comments on the owners have drawn attention.
What the GMCA said
A GMCA spokesperson said Burnham, in his role as mayor of Greater Manchester, met Khaldoon al-Mubarak at the UK government's global investment summit arranged by the Department for International Trade in October 2021. The spokesperson also said Burnham was a guest of Manchester City at home matches on a small number of occasions.
That included Vincent Kompany's testimonial match in September 2019, when Burnham met the chairman informally in the stands. The spokesperson added that these meetings had been declared in the usual way.
Background and response
The disclosure follows earlier comments from Burnham defending the Abu Dhabi owners as a major partner in Manchester's development. Last month, he said he would be "really concerned" if City's Abu Dhabi owners sold the club in the wake of the finding.
Louie French, meanwhile, said the disclosure was "far from the full transparency that football fans deserve". He added that Burnham "cannot hide behind the GMCA – he must take responsibility for this himself" and said there had been "precious little information about these meetings, what was discussed and what may have been agreed."
The GMCA also said that during Burnham's time as mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations on mayoral international visits. It said this included Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City staff supporting visits to China and Japan.
For now, the key update is straightforward: Burnham's contact with Manchester City and Khaldoon al-Mubarak was not limited to casual appearances. The GMCA has now confirmed one informal encounter in September 2019 and one formal meeting in October 2021, both of which are now part of the public record.
