Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit, has voiced a strong opinion that Manchester City ought to be stripped of the trophies they secured during the period in which they have been adjudicated guilty of financial rule violations. In his view, the club's owners should also 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 guilty on every charge brought against them.
Despite these findings, the club continues to deny any wrongdoing. Chief executive Ferran Soriano dismissed the investigation as a "Premier League conspiracy theory" in a video addressed to players and staff, and the organization has announced its intention to appeal the decision, with a deadline of Friday, October 2, to lodge its challenge. Between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, Manchester City amassed an impressive haul of silverware: three Premier League championships, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. Carragher argued that those honours should be removed from the club's record.
"I do think Manchester City's titles they've won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list," he told Sky Sports. He stopped short of saying the accolades should automatically be reassigned to the runners‑up in each competition.
"Whether other clubs should get them is slightly different," he explained. Carragher emphasized that the real loss goes beyond medals; it is the emotional experience of triumph that has been stolen from the players, clubs and supporters who were denied a fair contest. "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," Carragher said. When asked about the appropriate punishment for the club, Carragher said the owners must bear the brunt of responsibility.
"The club are going to get punished. 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 asserted.
He praised Manchester City as a historically significant institution, noting that it has been "a wonderful club for a hundred years and will be for hundreds of years going forward," but questioned how the owners could remain involved in English football after the scandal. "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. 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," Carragher argued. He added that while City will inevitably rebuild and field strong squads in the future, the current ownership could not simply continue unchanged. "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 demanded. Carragher expressed both shock and a sense of inevitability regarding the Premier League's decision.
He explained his long‑standing suspicion that City could not have generated the commercial revenues they claimed, especially when compared to clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United or Real Madrid. "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," he said. He also pointed to the club's repeated assertions of innocence despite facing 115 charges, noting that the persistence of the case suggested there was indeed something to investigate.
"The reason I'm shocked is because I never believed the Premier League would be able to beat them in a court of law because of the power and finances Man City have behind them. 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," Carragher added. Turning to the impact on individual players, Carragher said he felt sympathy for those who have spent years contributing to the club's success. He acknowledged that some former City players are publicly defending the organization, but noted the emotional toll such a controversy can take. "I'd be furious and I actually feel for the Man City players.
As a team, what they've done is wrong. The Premier League have called it a sham five times in their statement," he said. He highlighted the case of Kevin De Bruyne, whom he described as "one of the greatest players I've ever seen." Carragher suggested that De Bruyne's decision to join City may have been influenced by the inflated wages that stemmed from the financial irregularities under investigation. "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, 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 said. Carragher warned that the ongoing saga could erode support from former players and increase frustration among those whose careers may be forever marked by an asterisk. He accused the club hierarchy of "gaslighting" players, ex‑players and fans, trying to convince them that everything is fine despite the mounting evidence.
"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," he concluded. In summary, Carragher's stance is clear: Manchester City should lose the titles won during the period of financial misconduct, the owners should be removed from their positions, and the football community must reckon with the emotional and reputational damage inflicted on players, supporters and the sport itself.