Premier League clubs are watching Manchester City’s financial case with growing unease, concerned that political pressure and the wider relationship with the United Arab Emirates could become part of the background to the punishment eventually imposed.
The anxiety has sharpened after comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Manchester, following the finding of guilt against City over financial irregularities. Burnham said Abu Dhabi’s investment fund had made a major contribution to Manchester since arriving in 2008, and described the prospect of the owners leaving as “very worrying”.
Those remarks landed awkwardly across the league. Several clubs have regarded them as unusual, clumsy and surprising at a point when the case still has an appeal to run and a sanction to be decided. City’s appeal outcome is expected in the coming weeks, with the independent commission’s punishment due to be made public before the end of the season.
Downing Street moved to qualify Burnham’s position the following day. A spokesperson stressed that nobody stood above the law and that, if the guilty verdict is upheld after appeal, City must accept an appropriate penalty.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative MP, has called for publication of the details of all meetings between Burnham and senior Manchester City officials. Burnham spent nine years as Mayor of Manchester before becoming Prime Minister, adding another strand to scrutiny of his intervention.
There is also concern among rival clubs over signals from the United Arab Emirates that its investment in the United Kingdom could be reduced depending on the severity of any sanction. The fear is not simply about the final punishment for City, but whether the noise around a case of such importance can remain outside the commission room.
For the rest of the division, the wait is now for the appeal decision and the consequences that follow. City’s case has already run far beyond the usual rhythm of a football season; the final judgment on punishment is set to arrive before this one is out.
