Andy Burnham attended hospitality dinners with Manchester City chairman, records show

Prime Minister Andy Burnham attended two hospitality dinners with Manchester City football club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester, BBC News reported. According to BBC News and the Daily Mail, details of these meetings in 2017 and 2018 were omitted from a recent statement published by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and deleted from public registers. [1][7][8]

The disclosures come after Manchester City was found guilty of Premier League financial rule breaches, which the club plans to appeal, BBC News and ABC News Australia reported. The Daily Mail and Manchester Evening News reported that critics have accused Andy Burnham of concealing his ties to the club, while Andy Burnham stated that the club owners did not raise Premier League charges with him, according to The Guardian and The Independent. [1][4][7][9][10][12]

The Independent Football Regulator can force club owners to sell their teams, ABC News Australia reported. Potential punishments for the rule breaches include fines, points deductions, or expulsion from the Premier League, according to ABC News Australia. David Kogan, the chair of the regulatory body, stated that he would resign if there is any political interference in the Manchester City case, ABC News Australia and BBC Sport reported, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [4][5][6][15]

Manchester City Football Club was founded in 1880 as St. Mark's before taking its current name in 1894. The team plays its home matches at the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester. [13]

BBC Sport reported that the independent regulator is awaiting the outcome of Manchester City's appeal before making any decisions on sanctions. According to BBC Sport, David Kogan stated that the regulatory body must base its final ruling strictly on the evidence presented. [5]