On September 30, Beijing Time (CEST), Manchester United legend Jamie Carragher shared his views on the financial rule-breaking allegations against Manchester City in his column for Sky Sports.

An independent commission found Manchester City responsible for all allegations involving serious breaches of Premier League financial rules. The Premier League charged Manchester City with over 100 rule violations in February 2023.

Carragher believes Manchester City should be stripped of titles won during the period of financial rule-breaking, and the club's owners should also be removed from their positions.

Carragher's Sky Sports Column

Sky Sports pundit Carragher stated: "I believe the titles that Manchester City won during this period, or more accurately these trophies, should be stripped from their honours list."

However, Carragher is uncertain whether these honours should be transferred to the teams and players who finished second in the respective competitions at that time. He argued that, ultimately, the most important aspect of winning in football – the feeling at the moment of victory – has been robbed from those players, clubs, and fans by Manchester City's actions.

Carragher said: "Whether other clubs should receive these honours is another matter. But what Manchester City has done goes far beyond just hurting their own players, because now nobody will ever look at their trophies and medals the same way again.

"I was fortunate enough to win some medals. I don't look at them often years later, but my mind goes back to that moment, and the feeling comes back to my stomach. I remember the moment the referee blew the final whistle in that important match.

"Those players will never have that feeling again, and it has been taken from them by Manchester City. That is what they have lost. I don't think any player would care if you gave them a medal to keep in the trophy cabinet at home that they'll never look at again.

"This isn't about the medals, it's about the feeling, and that's what Manchester City has robbed them of."

Carragher stated that while he expects Manchester City to be punished, the club's owners must pay for their involvement by losing their positions leading the club.

Carragher said: "The club will be punished. There are fans, players, the club, and the owners. For me, this is all about the owners, the people at the top of the club.

"Manchester City is a great club, it always has been over the last 100 years, and it always will be for hundreds of years to come. But given what we now know, I don't see how these owners can continue to operate in English football.

"We always talk about the 'fit and proper persons' test for club owners. Everything they have done over the last 10 years, and the stain they have left, which will remain for the next 10 years, all stems from the fact that they don't like hearing 'no'. When you look at the statements they have released – like the one from CEO Ferran Soriano last night – the words you hear are simply unbelievable.

"They have so much power and money behind them that nobody will say 'no' to them. Until they leave the club, I don't see how this stain can be removed from the club.

"Manchester City will move forward, and they will continue to have an incredible team in the future. But after all of this has happened and their reaction to it, I don't see how these owners can continue to run the club. How could they be surprised? They have irrefutable evidence – so where is it? Go read their statement."

Carragher: If I were a Manchester City player, "I would be absolutely furious"

Carragher also discussed what this news means for the historical legacy of Manchester City's greatest players from that era, as well as for current players. He stated that he understands the situation the players face, even though some former Manchester City players are currently defending the club's actions.

Carragher said: "If I were them, I would be absolutely furious, and I genuinely feel for the Manchester City players. As a team, what they did was wrong. The Premier League used the term 'false accounting' five times in their statement.

"But as individuals, some of these players are now coming out to defend the club, which is understandable. It must be difficult for them to see what is happening now, and they will almost certainly feel that much of their careers will be tainted, or people will only refer to their achievements as 'fake'.

"I think of De Bruyne, one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He could play for any team in the world and would still be one of the best. He is extraordinary.

"But he chose Manchester City as his club. One reason for this choice may have been the salary, and given Manchester City's situation and the allegations against them, his salary may have increased as a result.

"But if he sits there now, towards the end of his career, and the whole world looks back on his 10 years at Manchester City and sees it as a joke, as 'fake' – I keep using that word because it is the word the Premier League used. If I were him, I would be absolutely furious. Absolutely furious. Because of what has happened at the top of the club, people around the world are viewing my career this way.

"They told those players (because I have spoken to some of them about this) that everything is fine, and they won't be punished for anything.

"We have spoken about Liverpool or Manchester United, and all the players who might now be winning Premier League titles. That makes perfect sense.

"But honestly, I have been thinking about how the Manchester City players must feel. The same applies to the statements made by Manchester City's management over the past few days; they are simply 'gaslighting' the players, former players, and fans, because these people desperately want to believe them. They have such a deep connection to the club that they are now willing to accept these claims.

"I think the longer this goes on, the more you will see fewer and fewer former Manchester City players defending the club, and more people will become frustrated with how their careers will be viewed in the future."

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