Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester until June, added: “I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn’t just put into the Etihad [Stadium] and the campus around it but also into the city”.
He said he was “of course” confident that his own interactions with City’s owners when he was mayor would stand up to scrutiny.
Burnham made his comments amid widespread shock in football about the scale of the independent commission’s findings – and the strength of Premier League comments about City’s actions.
Burnham was speaking to the BBC from Hill Dickinson Stadium, the home of Everton, the team he supports.
Everton had their own run in with Premier League financial rules when they were charged and deducted 10 points for more minor breaches in November 2023, reduced to six on appeal.
Burnham said: “Everton was in this position a few years ago and you might remember that I fought for Everton in that situation because I still hold the view very firmly that they weren’t fairly treated in that process.”
Drawing a comparison between that and City’s current predicament, he added: “I remember people proclaiming Everton guilty at the time and with hindsight I think more people would say that wasn’t fair, the way that was handled.
“So it would be wrong of me to leap to one side given the experience that I’d had before becoming prime minister.”
It is “frustrating when people rush to judgement”, Burnham said.
He accepted there was “a lot at stake” for City fans, the club and Manchester itself.
But he added it would be wrong for him to intervene.
City have said in a statement they are “both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission” and maintained their innocence of all the accusations made.
