Manchester City’s long-running case has reopened one of English football’s rawest old wounds: the 2011-12 title race, settled by Sergio Agüero’s stoppage-time goal and still lodged firmly in Manchester United memory. Former players have begun to debate whether medals and trophies ought to change hands if City are punished, though Wayne Rooney has made clear he would not welcome a retrospective championship.
A title race back under the microscope
Rio Ferdinand, who played at centre-back for United, said he would want the Premier League winners’ medal from the 2011-12 campaign if City were stripped of honours. City clinched that title in the closing moments of the final day, edging United on goal difference.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand aimed his remarks at former City defender Joleon Lescott, saying he would go to Lescott’s house and ask him to hand over the medal. Ferdinand argued that City should surrender trophies and medals rather than face merely financial penalties or avoid relegation.
- Ferdinand said City players could not reasonably continue to describe themselves as champions if titles were removed.
- He called for the return of the silverware and individual medals, presenting that as the straightforward remedy.
- His comments reflected wider calls for runners-up to be awarded titles should City lose honours won during the period under scrutiny.
Former players argue over the consequences
The subject was also discussed during ITV’s coverage of Spain against England in the Nations League, with Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Juan Mata giving their views.
Keane said the club had made its own choices and should be penalised for them. He accepted that deciding the scale and limits of any sanction would be difficult, but maintained that teams who break the rules must face the consequences.
Wright took a similar line, while recognising that past celebrations and shared memories cannot simply be erased. He said other sides and players had lost significant opportunities while trying to compete, and argued that any improper advantage had affected far more than a record book.
Mata could stand to gain personally if former City titles were reassigned. The Spaniard finished second in the league twice and noted that, despite winning other trophies during his career, he never won the Premier League — unless those two runner-up seasons were ultimately reclassified. He said those responsible for wrongdoing should be punished, while acknowledging that the eventual outcome remains unknown.
Rooney would turn down a belated medal
Rooney, however, does not share the appetite for receiving the 2011-12 championship after the event. On the Stick to United podcast, the former United forward said accepting another Premier League medal would not feel right because United had not done enough to earn the title on the pitch.
He recalled that United held a lead of around six or seven points with only four or five fixtures remaining, then let it slip. In Rooney’s view, even with City’s conduct in mind, United were not good enough in an 11-versus-11 contest over that season.
Rooney said he did not want the title restored to United, although he believes it is quite possible that City could be stripped of it. His frustration lies instead with the wider effect he feels the situation may have had on English football, leaving him angry, disappointed and saddened by what might have been different.
For now, the medals remain where they are. Whether they stay there — and whether former runners-up such as United are ever formally recognised as champions — depends on the punishment, if any, eventually imposed on Manchester City.
