In Liverpool, the old wound from 2014 still carries weight whenever Manchester City’s long-running Premier League case returns to view. Steven Gerrard, whose side finished behind City in that title race, has called for sanctions that would reach far beyond a simple relegation if the club are found to have breached the rules.
Manchester City face 114 charges relating to alleged Premier League financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018. The club continue to deny every allegation and are contesting the case.
Quick facts
- Manchester City have been charged with 114 alleged Premier League breaches.
- The allegations cover the period from 2009 to 2018.
- Gerrard’s Liverpool lost the 2013-14 league title to City.
- The former Liverpool captain wants a lengthy suspension, transfer restrictions and points deductions if wrongdoing is proven.
- He does not want the 2013-14 title or a winners’ medal awarded retrospectively.
Speaking on The Overlap Daily, Gerrard argued that the response must protect the credibility of the competition. His preferred punishment would include a multi-year suspension, a ban on signing players and points penalties over a defined period.
He believes dropping City into the Championship alone would not represent a sufficient deterrent. In Gerrard’s view, a club with City’s resources could return to the top division quickly, leaving the wider sporting consequences of any proven wrongdoing insufficiently addressed.
“I think I have accepted that I never won the Premier League,” Gerrard said. He made clear that he is not seeking a retrospective medal or a rewritten personal record more than a decade after the season.
Instead, Gerrard’s focus is on institutional accountability rather than individual reaction from players. He said the club should bear responsibility should the charges be upheld, given the impact such matters can have on rival teams, supporters and defining moments in a season.
The case remains unresolved, with City maintaining their complete innocence. For Gerrard, however, any eventual verdict must bring a punishment proportionate to the scale of the allegations, rather than one that merely alters a league position for a single campaign.
