A Greater Manchester committee plans to examine three loans totaling £55 million to companies controlled by Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, renewing scrutiny of how the city financed housing development.
The Guardian reported that the loans were made in 2017 through a housing fund operated by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to help finance Manchester Life. The GMCA said the loans had been repaid in full. The authority's overview and scrutiny committee plans to examine the fund; committee chair John Leech has questioned its transparency and why apparently successful businesses needed public loans, The Guardian reported.
The Guardian's Oct. 26 Today in Focus podcast examines Prime Minister Andy Burnham's ties to the club's Abu Dhabi-linked ownership. Burnham said he would be “really concerned to lose” the owners. The GMCA said Burnham met club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at a government investment summit in October 2021, attended some matches as a club guest, and that Manchester City staff supported official trips to China and Japan.
The Premier League said an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of charges related to serious breaches of financial rules covering the 2009-10 through 2017-18 seasons. The league said the commission found that funding from Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club, formed part of arrangements that increased revenue and reduced costs by more than £900 million. Manchester City filed an appeal Oct. 1, saying the commission's opinion was unsafe and contained material errors “of law, principle and fact.” The Premier League said sanctions would be considered at a separate confidential hearing.
A 2015 Manchester City Council report described Manchester Life, a partnership with ADUG, as a plan for up to £1 billion in investment and more than 6,000 homes. The Manchester Evening News reported, citing council figures, that Manchester Life had completed 1,783 homes, with 256 more in the pipeline; none of its homes were affordable. Council figures cited by the Manchester Evening News show that Manchester Life and other developers had completed 3,796 homes in the area, including 413 affordable homes, or about 11%.
A July Manchester City Council report summarized earlier independent reviews that had identified gaps in record-keeping and oversight, particularly for historic overage arrangements.
