Wayne Rooney does not believe Manchester City should be stripped of titles for breaching Premier League financial rules, arguing it would be unfair on the City players and staff whose efforts won them. The former Manchester United and England captain said he would not feel comfortable taking another Premier League winner’s medal even though his old club finished second to City in 2011-12.
City are waiting to learn what sanctions they will face after being found guilty of more than a hundred charges, with an array of potential punishments on the table. The club continues to deny any wrongdoing and is confident of overturning the verdict on appeal.
Rooney’s position is shaped by his own experience of finishing behind City. He was part of the United squad in 2011-12 that ended the season second to Roberto Mancini’s side on goal difference, after Sergio Agüero’s last-minute winner on the final day secured the Premier League trophy for City.
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said: “I wouldn’t feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I’m being honest, because I don’t think we deserve it. We didn’t do enough that season to win the league. I’m thinking as their players, they’re doing everything they can to win the Premier League title and in their minds they’ve done it. And if that happened to me, if all of a sudden Manchester United have been doing the same and I’m getting my Premier League medals taken away from me, I’d be absolutely devastated.”
That sympathy for City’s players does not extend to the club escaping punishment. Rooney would still want City disciplined if they are ultimately found guilty of wrongdoing, saying: “I’d put them in the lowest league they can go in and then put restrictions on them in terms of how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons.”
Javier Tebas, the La Liga president and a long-time critic of City, called for a punishment that fits the scale of the case. “We’re trying to make football sustainable and clean across all competitions,” he said at the Peak Performance + Health Summit in London. “As many clubs are saying, titles were lost that shouldn’t have been lost to other clubs. What has happened is very important, and we hope it marks a turning point, not just for the Premier League.”
Tebas added that the consequences extend beyond England. “The Manchester City case has implications across Europe. There should be a punishment that sets an example. Breaking them [the rules] for more than 10 years … is very serious. The punishment should therefore be severe, not only to set an example, but because the rules were broken.”