Downing Street has insisted Manchester City are not “above the rules” after Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced criticism over his response to the club’s Premier League financial case.
Burnham said on Wednesday that he would be “really concerned” if City’s owners decided to sell the club following the independent commission’s guilty verdict.
His comments drew criticism from the Conservatives and surprised some within football, prompting No. 10 to clarify the Prime Minister’s position on Thursday.
“As the Prime Minister made clear, the initial judgement is serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“He also stressed that it is an ongoing independent process. It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected.
“Wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.”
City deny wrongdoing and have until Friday to submit an appeal against the commission’s findings.
The Premier League said this week that City “systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade”, with the independent commission finding that the club arranged “sham contracts” with commercial partners as part of a scheme involving more than £830m in disguised funding.
Burnham would be ‘really concerned’ if City owners left
Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester until June, discussed the verdict during an interview with the BBC on Wednesday.
He stressed that he did not want to interfere with the Premier League’s disciplinary process and highlighted that City continue to contest the findings.
Burnham said it would be “wrong” to “jump to a conclusion” while the process remains ongoing.
However, when asked about the possibility of City’s owners selling the club as a consequence of the case, Burnham highlighted their contribution to Manchester since taking control in 2008.
“I would be really concerned to lose them,” Burnham said.
“They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester and obviously the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is.
“I can’t intervene more in the process, it would be wrong for me to do that.”
City have been owned by Sheikh Mansour since 2008. Mansour is a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family and serves as deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
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