Manchester City joins India trade delegation as Craig defends invitation

Manchester City sent a representative on a government-backed trade delegation to India this week, with Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig defending the invitation despite findings against the club over Premier League rules. The Guardian reported that City joined the visit to Delhi and Mumbai as northern mayors promoted British trade and tourism. The club maintains its innocence and has appealed against the findings.

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The trip was organised by business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and included other northern sports and leisure organisations, among them Lancashire cricket club and Visit Lake District. City participated in a tourism event in Delhi. The Great North, the coalition of northern English mayors behind that event, said its purpose was to promote tourism offerings across the region.

Craig told the Guardian that football clubs should face punishment when an independent process establishes that they have broken rules. She nevertheless defended City’s contribution to east Manchester, pointing to a library, leisure centre, sixth-form college, infrastructure investment and employment opportunities. She also highlighted the club’s participation in a good employment charter and its early adoption of the real living wage.

The Guardian reported that City had been found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League rules. The club, which disputes the charges and is pursuing an appeal, declined to comment on the delegation. Reynolds described the allegations and appeal as a football matter when asked about the invitation, while acknowledging City’s importance to Greater Manchester’s economy. He also defended the Premier League’s international reputation after attending an event involving schoolchildren and British-trained coaches.

The visit comes amid scrutiny of prime minister Andy Burnham’s contacts with City during his time as Greater Manchester mayor. According to the Guardian, Burnham clarified on Wednesday that he had attended two additional dinners with club chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak at the Etihad Stadium, previously recorded as matchday hospitality. He told parliament that nobody from the club had raised the Premier League charges with him.

The Greater Manchester mayoral authority said representatives of local sporting clubs routinely accompanied international business delegations during Burnham’s mayoralty. Craig’s position distinguishes the club’s regional investment from accountability under football’s rules, while City’s appeal against the findings remains unresolved.