Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appeared to backtrack on controversial comments he made about Manchester City’s owners and their financial breaches.
Man City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges made against them in what could go down as one of the biggest scandals of English football history.
However, speaking earlier this week, Burnham suggested he would be concerned about City’s owners being forced out of the club.
There was a major backlash to the PM’s comments, and No 10 have now released a new statement clarifying that City should of course face the appropriate consequences for their actions.
“The initial judgement is serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules,” a Downing Street statement read, as reported by BBC News.
“Wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.”
What did Andy Burnham say about the Manchester City case?
Burnham was previously mayor of Manchester, and it seems he had a good relationship with City’s owners as he cited the investments they’d made to the area during their time at the Etihad Stadium.
“I would be really concerned to lose them,” Burnham said of City’s owners earlier this week.
“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.”
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
It’s certainly easy to see why Burnham’s comments did not go down well, and even the latest statement from No 10 arguably doesn’t go far enough in treating with with the seriousness it deserves.
Speaking of the “initial judgement” and of wrongdoing being “established” rather plays down the fact that this is already the verdict after years of City being investigated, even if the case is technically not over yet as they can appeal the decision.
Burnham also completely falls into the trap of what so-called sportswashing is about by citing what MCFC’s ownership have done for Manchester, as that’s precisely how those with wealth seek to gain more power and influence.
Live Comments
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Add a Comment