Manchester was never likely to be quiet about a ruling that reaches into almost a decade of English football, and Roy Keane ensured that the reverberations travelled well beyond the Etihad. The former Manchester United captain delivered a fierce response after an independent Premier League commission found Manchester City guilty of serious financial-rule breaches, saying he would throw away the medals won by City players during the period under scrutiny.
Keane was speaking on ITV after England’s 2-0 Nations League win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Asked what City’s players should make of the commission’s conclusions, the Irishman rejected the familiar defence that trophies are settled only on the pitch. “If I were one of the players who enjoyed that success in recent years, for which we gave so much praise and recognition, I would absolutely put those medals in the bin,” he said.
He described the club’s conduct as cheating, while recognising that the outcome places players and the coaching staff in a difficult position. Keane also pushed back against former professionals who argue that City’s achievements remain untouched because the team won matches on the field. In his view, the sporting success cannot be separated from the financial conduct now judged by the commission.
A case stretching from 2009 to 2018
Manchester City had faced allegations since February 2023 that it had breached Premier League financial regulations more than 100 times across nine years. Those charges followed a four-year investigation and related to the period from 2009 to 2018, after which the matter was placed before an independent commission.
The case centred on rules requiring clubs to provide financial information in good faith and in a way that gives a true and fair picture of their position. The commission found that City had used contracts and commercial arrangements considered artificial to inflate income and reduce reported costs.
The arrangements examined were said to involve more than £900 million, approximately R$6.2 billion at the current conversion rate. The commission also concluded that the club’s accounts did not accurately reflect its financial condition and identified shortcomings in City’s cooperation with the investigation.
No titles or players’ medals have been removed at this stage. Sanctions have yet to be determined, leaving the consequences for one of Europe’s most successful modern sides unresolved. City deny wrongdoing, said they were disappointed and surprised by the findings, and maintain their innocence. The club has until Friday, 2 October, to lodge its appeal.
