Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would be really concerned if Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners sold the club after the team was found guilty of serious financial-rule breaches. The Premier League said City used sham commercial contracts in schemes that inflated revenue and understated costs by more than £900 million over nearly a decade. City denied wrongdoing and said it would appeal. Burnham praised the ownership group led by Sheikh Mansour for investing in Manchester since acquiring the club in 2008, crediting it with helping build the modern city and turn Manchester City into a global force. Drawing on his previous role as mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham compared the case with Everton's dispute over the league's profit and sustainability rules. Everton received a 10-point deduction, later reduced to six points, for breaching financial rules during the three-year period ending in 2022. Burnham said his experience made it inappropriate to take sides or intervene in City's disciplinary process. With sanctions still undecided and appeals expected, he said the outcome carried significant stakes for City, its supporters and Manchester.