- Published
The rows circulating around Manchester City are huge, and they are only going to get bigger.
asserted
they → publish → City
The Premier League has concluded that City "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade".
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City → conclude → decade
This, clearly, matters for the club, but that is just the start of it.
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that → matter → it
It matters for Manchester, it matters for the Premier League and so, crucially, it matters for the UK's image around the world – because England's top flight is a colossal global brand.
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flight → matter → world
In other words, this matters whether you like football or not.
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you → matter → football
Added to all of this, Andy Burnham pitches himself as Mr Manchester and is a big football fan.
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Burnham → add → Manchester
The man who was the mayor of Greater Manchester a matter of months ago is now the prime minister, and so finds himself caught up in it all at a local level, a national level and a diplomatic level.
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himself → find → level
Diplomatic, because rows will rage over the extent to which City's ownership is separate from the Abu Dhabi state.
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ownership → rage → state
All of this is why I thought it was in the public interest to put a series of questions to Burnham about it when I spoke to him on Wednesday as the Labour Party conference concluded in Liverpool.
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conference → think → Liverpool
His comments, in his interview with me, followed by no fewer than two attempts to backtrack 24 hours later, amount to perhaps his biggest self inflicted tangle since he arrived in Downing Street in July.
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he → follow → July
He will have expected to be asked about Manchester City, but he didn't expect sustained scrutiny about it.
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he → expect → it
One particular exchange prompted a lot of interest.
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exchange → prompt → interest
I asked if he was worried that Manchester City's owners from the United Arab Emirates might sell up.
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owners → ask → Emirates
It is worth quoting his answer in full.
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It → quote → answer
"Well, I would be really concerned to lose them.
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I → lose → them
"I can't intervene more in the process.
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I → intervene → process
It would be wrong for me to do that.
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me → do → that
It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all of the detail, but obviously it's ongoing, and because it's still contested by Manchester City, then I think it's right that I don't say much more."
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I → think → more
His answer is revealing on several levels, and was leapt on by many in football and then by the Conservatives, who labelled them "completely out of touch" and "extraordinary".
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who → leap → touch
Firstly, his fear – being "really concerned" – that the vast money from Abu Dhabi, that has transformed not just the club but parts of the city, could go.
Secondly, that "I can't intervene more" in the process that is ongoing.
uncertain
that → transform → process
What does "more" mean?
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more → mean → What
To be fair, as you can see in the full quote above and he said repeatedly elsewhere in the interview, he was trying to be circumspect about it all.
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he → see → it
"I am not getting directly involved in the process," he told me, later adding "I have to keep my distance from it."
But, the cumulative impression many were left with was that he was sympathetic to Manchester City's situation, not least because he repeatedly compared it to a vastly smaller row involving his own club Everton's finances a few years ago.
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he → involve → club
"I remember people proclaiming Everton guilty at the time, and you know, with hindsight, I think more people would say that wasn't fair the way that was handled.
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that → remember → hindsight
So it would be wrong of me to leap to one side given the experience that I'd had before becoming prime minister.
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I → leap → that
"
Everton were docked Premier League points over it.
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Everton → dock → it
Despite the gravity and breadth of what Manchester City now confront, Andy Burnham offered no explicit criticism of them.
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Burnham → confront → them
And by teatime on Thursday, No10 were back-pedalling.
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No10 → pedal → Thursday
A written statement was sent out, which again is worth quoting in full:
"As the prime minister made clear, the initial judgement is serious and there can't be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules.
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anyone → write → rules
He also stressed that it is an ongoing independent process.
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it → stress → ?
It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected.
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outcome → allow → course
"If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.
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those → establish → consequences
Some 59 words that could be replaced by a picture of a reversing light – the tone and language completely different from Burnham's to me on camera.
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that → replace → camera
But even that statement didn't last long.
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statement → last → ?
Immediately, the first word of the second paragraph of it was jumped on.
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word → jump → it
Remember, the Premier League says Manchester City arranged "sham contracts" with a number of commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of almost a billion pounds.
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City → remember → pounds
The club deny wrongdoing and are considering an appeal, but the Premier League's conclusion is clear.
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conclusion → deny → appeal
But Downing Street said "if."
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Street → say → if
Fast forward a little over an hour, and the statement was re-issued.
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statement → fast → ?
"If" became "wherever."
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If → become → ?
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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