Roy Keane has delivered a stinging assessment of Manchester City’s financial scandal, saying he would throw away his medals if he had played for the club during the period covered by the Premier League’s ruling.
The former Manchester United captain accused City of cheating after the club was found guilty of breaching more than 100 financial regulations, reigniting questions over the legitimacy of trophies won during the period under investigation.
City deny wrongdoing and have until Friday October 2 to appeal the verdict.
But Keane, speaking on ITV, said he would have no desire to keep medals won against the backdrop of the financial breaches.
“If I was a player, I’d be 100 per cent sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it’s cheating,” he said.
Keane argued that the club’s achievements on the pitch could not be separated from the financial conduct identified by the Premier League.
“They won it on the pitch because cheating was going on,” he said.
“They knew it would hurt a lot of people, but they’ve still done it.”
The comments followed confirmation that City had inflated their commercial revenue by £830 million between 2009 and 2018, according to the findings cited in the case.
The period covered by the allegations coincided with one of the most successful eras in the club’s history, including three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three League Cups.
The ruling has therefore created an unusually direct link between a club’s financial governance and the sporting success that followed, with the consequences potentially extending beyond fines or financial penalties.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said City had “systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade”.
The precise punishment remains to be determined. A points deduction and relegation have been raised as possible sanctions, while a transfer ban has also been discussed. No final sporting punishment has yet been confirmed.
The case could also have significant implications for the club’s ownership and wider reputation if the findings survive an appeal.
City, however, have responded forcefully, saying they were “surprised” by the ruling and continuing to reject the allegations.
Chief executive Ferran Soriano told staff in a video message that the outcome reflected what he described as a “Premier League conspiracy theory”.
He argued that the case rested on what he characterised as a false allegation concerning the source of sponsorship income from Abu Dhabi.
“This has gone on for so long that it’s important to remind ourselves that the whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation; that the owner’s personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi,” Soriano said.
The dispute now moves towards its next stage, with City preparing to challenge the ruling while the football authorities face the question of what penalties, if any, should follow.
For the players and supporters who experienced the club’s extraordinary rise during the period under scrutiny, the argument is no longer simply about accounting rules. It has become a dispute over how financial conduct should be weighed against sporting achievement — and whether success secured during a disputed period can remain untouched by the consequences.
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