Michael Carrick has called for swift clarity after Manchester City were found guilty of multiple financial breaches, saying the uncertainty around the case has left major questions hanging over English football.
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The Manchester United manager addressed the case at length on Friday, after an independent commission delivered its verdict during the international break.
Manchester City were found guilty of breaches relating to the period from 2009 to 2018, following a long investigation and an extended legal battle with the Premier League. The eventual sanctions and wider consequences have not yet been settled.
Carrick said a rapid conclusion would benefit everyone involved. “The sooner it is resolved, the better it will be for everybody,” he said.
He stressed that the possible fallout could be significant and argued that clubs, players and supporters need certainty. “It is important that things move quickly, so everyone knows where they stand, can deal with it and move forward, whatever happens,” Carrick said.
The former United midfielder was at Old Trafford throughout the period covered by the investigation, playing for the club between 2006 and 2018. During that time, United finished second behind City in the Premier League in both 2012 and 2018.
Carrick admitted the matter had affected him personally over the years, but said he could not yet judge how it would end. “It has impacted me in different ways over time,” he said. “But with where the case is now, I do not really know what the final outcome will be. We have to wait and see.”
He also said that any title awarded retrospectively would not recreate what was experienced during a season. For Carrick, football’s value lies in the emotions of the campaign itself: the pursuit, the setbacks, the victories and the final moment when a trophy is won or lost.
“When it is all over, you cannot go back,” he said. “You cannot recreate it, whichever way you look at it.”
Carrick believes Manchester United supporters feel the same sense of loss. “That emotion in the moment is why we love the sport so much,” he said.
