Manchester City has been found guilty in the Premier League's biggest-ever cheating scandal, prompting former United captain Roy Keane to say the club's trophy-winning players should be "sticking those medals in the bin." Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea suggested runners-up deserve retrospective titles, while Wayne Rooney said he would not feel comfortable accepting one.
The independent commission's verdict, published in late September, found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-season period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, and of the majority of charges of failing to cooperate with the league's investigation. The commission found City had arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners linked to its Abu Dhabi owners as part of a "disguised funding scheme", inflating revenues and reducing costs by more than £900 million so the club appeared to comply with financial rules — and that a number of important club witnesses had given false evidence, some knowingly giving untrue and dishonest evidence. The club "clearly intended to circumvent" the rules, it concluded.
City, owned since 2008 by Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group, has maintained its innocence throughout. At 7pm on October 1 the club lodged a comprehensive appeal, saying the verdict contained "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact" and was "unsafe", and that "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" supported its positions. Under league rules an appeal hearing must be held within 12 weeks of the appeal, last no more than five days, with a decision due within 30 days of its conclusion.
Punishment has not yet been decided: a separate sanctions hearing will follow the appeal. Under the Premier League's handbook, possible sanctions range from a reprimand to expulsion, including fines, points deductions and transfer bans. BBC Sport reported that several Premier League clubs want both retrospective punishment and a forward sanction; one senior source said City should be stripped of the three titles won between 2009 and 2018, though there is no push for the honours to be redistributed. Some believe any points deduction should be split across multiple seasons to prevent a quick return to the top flight, while rivals may pursue compensation claims that could run for years.
The verdict has already shaken the sport. Keane told viewers the medal winners should be "sticking those medals in the bin." Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea argued that the runners-up should receive retrospective titles; Wayne Rooney disagreed, saying he would not feel comfortable accepting one. The decision has also cast doubt over Pep Guardiola's trophy-laden legacy. Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, said the verdict showed the club had "systematically broke" the rules for nearly a decade and vindicated the league's decision to pursue the case — the most seismic ruling in the competition's history.