An independent commission found the club guilty of financial breaches, prompting Manchester City to appeal the decision earlier this month. The club hopes to overturn the ruling and avoid possible severe penalties.
The Premier League alleged that Manchester City used “sham” commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million ($1.19 billion). However, the club has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the commission’s decision contains “clear material errors”.
The UK Liberal Democrats recently called on Burnham to reveal any meetings he held with Manchester City’s owners, representatives from Abu Dhabi or related organisations. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also urged the government to publish details of his discussions with senior club officials.
Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, scheduled for release on Monday, Burnham confirmed his intention to make the information public.
“I’ve been asked by the leader of the opposition to publish details of my meetings, which I’m happy to do and I’m going to,” Burnham said.
He added: “I will quite clearly put out there everything that I have done working with them in my previous role as Mayor of Greater Manchester.”
Burnham served as Mayor of Greater Manchester from May 2017 until June 2026. He explained that his contact with the club was not recent and identified 2021 as the year of his only significant meeting.
“None of it is recent, actually, in terms of the meetings I had. I only had one significant meeting, actually, and that was in 2021,” he said.
In September, Burnham expressed concern that Manchester City’s owners might sell the club following the verdict. He described them as “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester” and praised their role “in turning the club into a global force”.
Will publishing these meeting details help clarify Burnham’s relationship with Manchester City?
