Jamie Carragher has publicly argued that Manchester City ought to have all the trophies they collected during the period in which they were adjudged guilty of financial violations stripped away, and that the club’s proprietors should be removed from their leadership positions. An independent commission has concluded that City breached Premier League financial regulations in a serious manner, finding the club culpable on every charge.
Despite this verdict, the organization continues to deny any wrongdoing. Chief executive Ferran Soriano dismissed the findings as a "Premier League conspiracy theory" in a video addressed to players and staff, and the club has announced its intention to appeal the decision, with a deadline of Friday, 2 October to lodge the appeal. Between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, Manchester City amassed an impressive haul of honours: three Premier League crowns, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. Carragher, who regularly appears as a pundit on Sky Sports, said, "I do think Manchester City's titles they've won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list." He stopped short of stating that those honours should automatically be handed to the runners‑up in each competition.
Instead, Carragher emphasized that the true loss lies in the emotional experience of winning. "The most important part of winning in football – the feeling at the time – has been taken from those players, clubs and their fans by City's actions," he explained. "Whether other clubs should get them is slightly different," he added. "But what Manchester City have done is, they've not just hurt their own players in terms of no one looks at their trophies and medals now in the same way..." Carragher reflected on his own experience of lifting medals, noting that the physical object matters far less than the visceral memory of a decisive whistle.
"I've been very lucky to win a few medals. I never look at the medal years later.
But my mind goes back to a moment, I get a feeling in my stomach. I remember the referee blowing a final whistle of a big game. Those players will never get that feeling and it was robbed by Manchester City.
That's what they haven't got. I don't think any player will care if you go and give them a medal, and he puts it in the house, in his trophy room, he'll never look at it. It's not about medals, it's about feelings, and that's what Manchester City have robbed." Beyond the stripping of silverware, Carragher believes the owners must bear personal responsibility. "The club are going to get punished," he said.
"You've got supporters, players, the club and owners. For me this is all about the owners, the people who are at the top of the club." He praised Manchester City’s long‑standing stature, noting that the club has been a prominent institution for a century and will likely remain so for many more. However, he questioned how the current owners could continue to operate within English football after the revelations.
"We talk about a fit and proper test for owners. What they've done for 10 years – and left this stain that will be there for the next 10 years – it starts because they don't like the word no. When you see the statements – the one from [CEO Ferran] Soriano last night – it's beggars belief what you're hearing." Carragher argued that the owners’ immense financial power has insulated them from accountability, and that until they step away, the blemish on the club will persist.
"They have so much power and finance behind them, nobody ever tells them no. Until they move away from the club, I don't know how this stain is removed from the club. City will move on – they will have great teams in the future. But I don't see how the ownership can continue after what's happened here and their reaction to it.
How can they be surprised? They've got irrefutable evidence – well where is it? Put it out there." He expressed a mixture of shock and resignation, saying he had long suspected misconduct. "I'm shocked but also not surprised.
I always felt they were guilty for two simple reasons. It would be impossible for Man City ever to have the commercial revenue of Liverpool, Man Utd or Real Madrid. They said for years they had that type of income coming in. It's impossible for that to ever happen, no matter how successful Man City are.
And number two, as they said yesterday and have continually said over this period, 'they've done nothing wrong, they have irrefutable evidence'. Every man and his dog knows if you're charged by the police and had irrefutable evidence it would be over in a day or a week – this has dragged on for years. This idea that nothing has gone on and it has dragged on this long tells you something was there." Carragher praised the Premier League for persisting with the case, noting the scale of the charge‑sheet – 114 out of 115 allegations were upheld – and saying the governing body needed a decisive victory to be credible.
"A huge well done to the Premier League for the result it seems they have right now. For the Premier League to not just win this case but people talk about 114 charges out of 115 – they had to win it like that for it to be convincing." When asked about the impact on the legacy of City’s star players from that era, Carragher expressed empathy. He acknowledged that while the club as an institution bears responsibility, individual players are caught in a difficult position, especially those who have publicly defended the club. "I'd be furious and I actually feel for the Man City players," he said.
"As a team, what they've done is wrong. The Premier League have called it a sham five times in their statement." He singled out Kevin De Bruyne as an example of a world‑class talent whose reputation could be tarnished by association. "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." Carragher warned that if De Bruyne’s decade‑long tenure at City is forever marked with an asterisk, it would be a personal injustice.
"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." He noted that many current and former City players have been told repeatedly that everything would be fine, a narrative now being challenged by the ongoing investigations.
Carragher also observed a potential shift in support among ex‑players, predicting growing frustration as the scandal continues to cast a shadow over their achievements. In summary, Carragher’s stance is clear: while Manchester City may eventually rebuild on the pitch, the financial misconduct era must be addressed by stripping the club of its tainted honours and by holding the owners accountable, possibly through removal from their positions, to restore integrity to English football.