City Football Group, led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has poured several hundred million pounds into east Manchester since taking over the club in 2008. Andy Burnham, the UK Prime Minister and former Mayor of Greater Manchester, does not want that money leaving.
Burnham told the BBC he hoped the owners would stay through the fallout from the verdict.
“I would be really concerned to lose them. 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,” Burnham said.
Those investments are visible across east Manchester: the Etihad Campus around the stadium, the City Football Academy, the Co-op Live arena, and thousands of jobs in the area.
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Burnham was equally clear that gratitude would not translate into political cover.
“I can’t intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that,” he said.
Burnham has pointed to the Everton case, where a 10-point deduction was reduced to six on appeal, as a reason to withhold judgment before the full process has run.
Divestment is on the table
David Kogan, chair of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), set out where the watchdog stands. The regulator was established in 2025 and holds statutory powers to assess the suitability of club owners, directors and executives. In the most extreme cases, it can force divestment.
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“The independent commission’s decision raises serious issues,” Kogan said.
“The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals.”
The watchdog said it would await further developments before deciding on action.
Nine seasons of “sham” contracts
An independent commission ruled last week that Manchester City breached Premier League rules on 114 of 115 counts covering the seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. It found the club used “sham” commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900m across nearly a decade.
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Possible punishments range from a fine or points deduction to Premier League expulsion. The club has denied wrongdoing. Its deadline to lodge an appeal falls on Friday, 2 October.
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