An independent commission has found Man City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-season period, though Jamie Carragher isn't surprised
Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher was never in doubt about Man City being guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules
Jamie Carragher said Manchester City's boastful "commercial revenue" and its cries of a lack of "irrefutable evidence" of wrongdoing were the reasons he always knew the club was guilty of "cooking the books".
The reigning Carabao Cup and FA Cup champion was officially found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-season period between 2009-10 and 2017-18 by an independent commission on Tuesday, following a four-year Premier League investigation.
Man City is now at risk of several serious punishments for its actions, including massive points deductions or heavy financial fines, expulsion or relegation from the Premier League, and being stripped of the titles it won during the nine-season period.
The Cityzens have, of course, strongly denied all wrongdoing, with Chief Executive Ferran Soriano branding the verdict a "Premier League conspiracy theory", and the club now has until Friday, October 2, to formally submit its appeal.
As the fallout from the commission's verdict - which is considered a "final award" on the facts of the case - continues, Carragher has revealed exactly why the outcome hasn't surprised him, having questioned several previous statements from Man City during the investigation.
"I'm shocked but also not surprised. The reason I'm not surprised is that I always felt they were guilty, just for two simple reasons," Carragher began on Sky Sports Premier League on Wednesday.
A general exterior view of Etihad Stadium, home stadium of Manchester City ahead of the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and Coventry City
Man City has been found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-season period between 2009-10 and 2017-18(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))
"It would be impossible for Manchester City to ever have the commercial revenue of Liverpool, Manchester United or Real Madrid. They said that, for years, they had that type of income coming in - it's impossible for that to ever happen, no matter how successful Manchester City are.
"Number two - the fact that they've said, continuously over this period, that they've done nothing wrong and that they've got irrefutable evidence. Anyone knows that if you were charged by the police, and you had irrefutable evidence, it would be over within a day. This has dragged on for years.
"The reason I'm shocked is because I never believed the Premier League would be able to beat them in a court of law, because of the power and the finances that Manchester City have behind them, so a huge well done to the Premier League for the result they have."
Some of the biggest things Man City has been accused of include "sham" contracts and disguised funding, misleading accounts, hiding true expenditure and artificially inflating earnings of managers and players, and non-cooperation within the case.
The club, however, revealed in a statement this week that it is disappointed and surprised at the outcome, claiming the opinion of the independent commission contains "clear material errors of law, principle and fact".
Another problem facing Man City is that a number of third-party lawsuits from rival clubs that it beat to numerous trophies, including Liverpool, seeking hundreds of millions in damages, could soon be coming its way.
The Reds narrowly missed out on the 2013-14 Premier League title to Man City by just two points under Brendan Rodgers, while they also fell to their north-west neighbors in the 2015-16 League Cup (now Carabao Cup) final under Jurgen Klopp, falling 3-1 on penalties at Wembley following a 1-1 draw after extra time.