British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Manchester City soccer club’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at an investment summit in 2021 in his capacity as the then-mayor of the city, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said in a statement on Monday.
The statement came after criticism of Burnham’s initial response to a ruling that found the club guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
At that time he expressed concern that City’s owners could sell the club after the guilty verdict, telling the BBC they had been “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester” and in turning the club into a global force.
Burnham’s spokesperson later said the club should face the “appropriate consequences” if wrongdoing was established.
Nevertheless, Burnham drew criticism from opposition politicians, including the Liberal Democrat party, which interpreted his remarks as defending the club’s conduct, and led to demands for details on his dealings with club officials.
Burnham served as Greater Manchester Mayor from May 2017 to June 2026.
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The GMCA statement said: “In October 2021 Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.”
It added that he also met the chairman informally while attending a testimonial game in 2019 in his capacity as mayor.
Manchester City staff had also supported visits the mayor had taken to China and Japan with business delegations.
