Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane (Picture: ITV)
Roy Keane has blasted Manchester City’s owners for ‘cheating’ and says players who won medals at the club should throw them ‘in the bin’ after the Premier League’s guilty verdict.
The Premier League said in a statement on Tuesday that Man City had been found guilty of all charges related to ‘serious breaches’ of financial rules.
An independent commission found that Manchester City, the dominant force in English football over the past decade, arranged ‘shame contracts’ with several commercial partners to disguise funding of more than £800m.
In doing so Man City artificially inflated the club’s revenues and reduced its costs in the period between 2009 and 2018.
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The club still maintain their innocence and have until October 2 to submit an appeal.
Ex-Manchester United captain Keane says the Manchester City owners have ‘hurt a lot of people’ through years of ‘cheating’ and says medal winners at the club should chuck them away.
‘Well, do you know what? They [the Man City owners] knew it would hurt a lot of people but they still did it,’ Keane said on ITV after England’s Nations League win over Czech Republic.
Manchester City U21 v West Ham U21 - Premier League 2
Manchester City breached over 100 financial rules (Picture: Getty)
‘If I was a player who had some success during that time, I would 100% be sticking those medals in the bin. You’d feel so let down by the club, it’s cheating.
‘It’s nonsense to say they won it on the pitch, they were cheating. There was cheating going on.’
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Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright added: ‘They’ve kept telling the fans and the players that nothing has gone on and now they’ve been found guilty of all these charges. It’s just not right.
‘It’s sad for everyone but in respects of the owners and what they’ve done, it’s just terrible.’
Manchester City are currently top of the Premier League under Pep Guardiola’s replacement Enzo Maresca and face Liverpool in their first game back following the international break.
On what the next few weeks hold for the Man City squad, Keane added: ‘It’s tough for the current players and the manager because they would have trusted the owners who were quite happy cheating.
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Play Video: Mancini says, 'It's not my concern' when asked about City charges
Play Video: Mancini says, 'It's not my concern' when asked about City charges
Play Video: England train ahead of Nations League clash against Czechia
Play Video: England train ahead of Nations League clash against Czechia
Play Video: Sprinklers interrupt Scotland's training ahead of their Nations League match against Switzerland
Play Video: Sprinklers interrupt Scotland's training ahead of their Nations League match against Switzerland
‘It’s going to very difficult going forward for these players to maintain that professionalism and excellence.’
In the Premier League’s statement confirming Man City’s guilty verdict, chief executive Richard Masters said: ‘The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period.
‘It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade. It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City.
[Editorial use only. All images are copyright Every Second Media Limited. No images may be reproduced without prior permission. All rights reserved. Premier League and Football League images are subject to licensing agreements with Football DataCo Limited. see https://www.football-dataco.com Mandatory Credit: Photo by Harvey Todd/Every Second Media/Shutterstock (14737400e) A general view of the Manchester City crest on the corner flag ahead of the Manchester City FC v Watford FC Carabao Cup 3rd Round match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, United Kingdom on 24 September 2024 Manchester City FC v Watford FC, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom - 24 Sep 2024
Editorial use only. All images are copyright Every Second Media Limited. No images may be reproduced without prior permission. All rights reserved. Premier League and Football League images are subject to licensing agreements with Football DataCo Limited. see https://www.football-dataco.com Mandatory Credit: Photo by Harvey Todd/Every Second Media/Shutterstock (14737400e) A general view of the Manchester City crest on the corner flag ahead of the Manchester City FC v Watford FC Carabao Cup 3rd Round match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, United Kingdom on 24 September 2024 Manchester City FC v Watford FC, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom - 24 Sep 2024](https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/29/man-city-respond-premier-league-confirm-guilty-verdict-financial-breaches-29665043/)
‘While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.
‘It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition.
‘It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.’
The Premier League also said a hearing to decide Man City’s sanction will be addressed in the coming weeks. Expulsion from the division is believed to be one possibility.
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Screen grab taken from PA video of former snooker world champion Graeme Dott appearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, as he was sentenced to seven years in jail after being found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-age children. The 49-year-old subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse, with the girl targeted between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010. Picture date: Tuesday September 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Video/PA Wire
Screen grab taken from PA video of former snooker world champion Graeme Dott appearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, as he was sentenced to seven years in jail after being found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-age children. The 49-year-old subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse, with the girl targeted between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010. Picture date: Tuesday September 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Video/PA Wire