Roy Keane told ITV Sport he would bin his medals if he were a Manchester City player after an independent commission found the club had breached Premier League financial rules
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Roy Keane delivered a furious verdict on Manchester City's guilty verdict(Image: Getty)
Roy Keane has lambasted Manchester City for 'cheating', declaring that if he were still playing he'd be 'sticking his medals in the bin' following the Premier League's announcement that they had been found guilty of all charges concerning serious breaches of financial regulations across a nine-season span.
City was additionally found guilty of the majority of charges relating to their failure to co-operate with the League's investigation.
The current Premier League table-toppers now face the prospect of severe penalties after an independent commission determined they had 'clearly intended to circumvent Premier League rules' throughout a nine-season period.
City was found to have participated in a scheme valued at nearly $1.3 billion (£1billion) aimed at either inflating revenues or reducing expenditure through a series of "sham" arrangements, in an attempt to circumvent both league and UEFA financial regulations.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters characterised the case, and its outcome, as "the most significant in Premier League history", with the league's investigation having initially begun in 2018.
Over 100 charges were levelled against City in February 2023, with the commission examining the case between September and December 2024.
The same commission that issued the verdict will now consider what sanctions should be imposed, while the club promptly confirmed their plans to appeal, maintaining the decision "contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe".
Speaking to ITV Sport, Keane stated: "Well, do you know what? They [the club] knew it would hurt a lot of people, and they still done it. And if I was a player with that bit of success and praise that we've given a lot of credit for - but if I was a player I'd be 100% sticking them medals in the bin."
City could face strict punishments
City could face strict punishments(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
When questioned whether he'd feel betrayed by the club as a player, he responded: "Oh 100% of course, of course you would. It's cheating. You're hearing nonsense from ex-players saying 'oh well they won on the pitch'. Because there was cheating. There was cheating going on.
"I think it's going to be very difficult for the players, for the manager. The trust, the belief in whatever's gone on at the football club, what they stand for when you've got owners who are quite happy cheating.
"It's very difficult for these players going forward to try and maintain the level of excellence that they've been [displaying]."
Fellow pundit Ian Wright added: " You know what it is as well, they've told the players. The players, the fans, they've all believed them, they've tried to stand behind their club, but they told them that nothing bad's going on.
"And now what is it? 115 charges, 114 charges? And they've been telling people. So if you are a player, something's not right with you, you're thinking this ain't right.
"We're not meant to be seeing this, it's unprecedented what we're seeing right now and it's sad for everybody. But in respect of the owners and what they've done? Terrible, terrible."