Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has said he would “throw” his Manchester City medals away if he had been a player at the club following its guilty verdict over breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that Manchester City had been found guilty of all charges relating to serious financial breaches over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018.
An independent commission ruled that City had used “sham” agreements with commercial partners to secretly channel more than £830 million into their football operations during the period in question.
City, who continue to deny any wrongdoing, secured eight trophies, including three Premier League titles, during the period covered by the charges.
Reacting to the findings, Keane said the achievements of the players involved had been compromised by the financial breaches.
“If I was a player, I’d be 100% sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it’s cheating,” Keane told ITV Sport before England’s game against the Czech Republic.
“They won it on the pitch because cheating was going on.”
Keane added: “They knew it would hurt a lot of people, but they’ve still done it.”
Manchester City have yet to receive a sporting punishment, with the Premier League expected to decide on the sanction separately. The club has until Friday, October 2, to appeal the independent commission’s verdict.
One potential punishment could involve stripping the club of Premier League titles, although no decision has been reached.
City have won the Premier League eight times since Sheikh Mansour took over in 2009, with three of those triumphs falling within the period covered by the financial charges.
Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, however, said he would not want his old club to be awarded a Premier League title retrospectively if one of City’s championships were removed.
Rooney was part of the United side that finished second behind City in the 2011-12 campaign but said he would be uncomfortable receiving a medal years after the season had ended.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I’m being honest, because I don’t think we deserve it. We didn’t do enough that season to win the league,” Rooney said on the Stick to United podcast.
“I’m thinking as their players, they’re there doing everything they can to win the Premier League title and in their minds they’ve done it.
“And, if those players have got no understanding of what’s going on above them, then if that happened to me – if all of a sudden Manchester United have been doing the same and I’m getting my Premier League medals taken away from me – I’d be absolutely devastated.”
Rooney also said he believed City could be relegated as part of any eventual punishment, despite not wanting United to be handed the title.
“I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated,” the former England captain said.
“However that happens I don’t know but I think we’re going to see them get relegated.”
He further suggested that City could receive a significant points deduction and face spending restrictions if the Premier League imposes a major sporting punishment.
“I’d put them in the lowest league they can go in and then put restrictions on them in terms of how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons,” he said.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino also said the verdict highlighted a period in which sporting fairness had been compromised.
“It’s done a lot of damage. Many clubs followed the rules and some didn’t,” Pochettino said.
“It’s a huge sadness. We get into a situation where what got celebrated wasn’t that real, what seemed good maybe wasn’t so good.”
Pochettino, who managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea during the period covered by the allegations, also questioned how consistently the Premier League enforced its financial regulations.
“Where were the controls?” he asked.
“I remember being at Southampton, then Tottenham – I remember building [the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] and not having the economic possibility of a transfer for 18 months.”
He said Tottenham had been subject to strict financial controls while competing with clubs that had greater spending power.
La Liga president Javier Tebas also called for the strongest punishment available under Premier League regulations.
“In my opinion, the most severe sanction provided for under the Premier League regulations should be applied,” Tebas told BBC Sport.
“Given the number of years involved, the repeated breaches, the denial and the lack of co-operation, the most severe sanction allowed under the Premier League rules is what should be imposed, although I do not know exactly what that sanction would be.”
Manchester City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 following a four-year investigation. The case was then referred to an independent commission, which held its hearing behind closed doors from September 2024 for approximately 12 weeks.
The commission has now found City guilty of the financial breaches, although the club retains the right to appeal before any sporting punishment becomes final.