Former Liverpool defender and popular pundit Jamie Carragher has now offered his thoughts on the Manchester City situation. He has also revealed what he learned from conversations with the club's players amid the Premier League charges.
In February 2023, following a four-year investigation into a period between 2009 and 2018, the English club were charged with more than 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. Fast forward to September 2026, and we finally have a verdict.
An independent Commission has found Man City guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. Notably, the club are said to have used ‘sham’ contracts to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce costs between 2009 and 2018, before concealing the truth.
With the news now public, Carragher has offered his opinion on the matter for the first time.
Jamie Carragher at Anfield
Jamie Carragher at Anfield
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher was adamant that Man City should have titles stripped from them if the club aren't successful with an appeal. He said: "I do think Manchester City's titles they've won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list."
He also claimed that owners should be removed but took a more sympathetic tone when talking about the impact this could have on the Man City players. Having held previous conversations with members of the squad, he claimed that they had been told by the club's executives that there was nothing to worry about.
It's easy to imagine players would have asked plenty of questions relating to the topic ever since the charges dropped in 2023. But Carragher explained how the players were told to put their faith in the club:
“Those people have continually told those players - because I have spoken to certain players about it - that everything was fine. They were not going to get done for anything."
Sadly for the players, though, it looks as though their legacy could forever be tarnished. There is talk about how Man City should be stripped of their titles. On that, Carragher added:
"We keep talking about Liverpool or Manchester United, all these players who maybe could get Premier League titles now. And that's absolutely spot on.
"But I've actually been thinking about the Manchester City players and how they feel. What Manchester City's hierarchy are coming out with in the last couple of days as well, they're just gaslighting the players, their ex-players, their supporters, because those people want to believe them so much. They've got such strong relationships with them, they want to believe it right now. "I think the longer this goes on, the more you'll see less support from maybe ex-City players and more frustration about maybe how their careers are going to be viewed by the outside world."
Pep Guardiola holding up six fingers whilst stood next to the Premier League trophy.
Pep Guardiola holding up six fingers whilst stood next to the Premier League trophy.
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In the same segment, Carragher referenced Premier League great Kevin De Bruyne as one player who may feel 'furious' if he was kept in the dark while Man City were cheating behind the scenes. Explaining how the success of the club in the modern era may now be viewed with distrust, he said:
"The Premier League have called it a sham five times in their statement. But in terms of individual players, some of them are coming out to bat for the club, that's normal right now. It must be very difficult for them to see anything that's going on and to almost feel like a lot of their career is going to have an asterisk with it, or people are just going to call it a sham.
"I think of Kevin De Bruyne, who's one of the greatest players I've ever seen. He could have played for any team in the world and he still would have been one of the best players. He was fantastic.
"But he chose his club to be Manchester City. Now, one of those reasons he may have chosen, maybe was his wages, that maybe were inflated because of the situation around Man City and what they've been charged with.
“But if he sits there at the end of his career now and the whole world looks at his Manchester City career of 10 years of service and look at it as a sham, and I keep using that word, that's the word the Premier League used, I'd be furious. Absolutely furious that around the world people are looking at my career like that because of what's going on upstairs.”
Man City have until October 2 to appeal the verdict. They continue to maintain their innocence, while former manager Pep Guardiola has said he stands by the club despite the scrutiny.