Jamie Carragher has argued that Manchester City ought to have the championships they secured while breaching financial regulations stripped from their record, and that the club’s proprietors should be removed from their leadership roles. The Premier League’s independent commission has concluded that City committed serious violations of the league’s financial rules, finding the club guilty on every count.
Despite these findings, the organization 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 club has announced its intention to appeal the decision, with a deadline of Friday, October 2, to lodge the challenge.
Between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, Manchester City amassed a remarkable haul of silverware: three Premier League crowns, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. Carragher, who regularly appears as a pundit on Sky Sports, contended that those trophies should be removed from the club’s honours list. He stopped short of saying the accolades should automatically be transferred to the runners‑up in each competition, but he stressed that the emotional reward of winning – the surge of adrenaline when the final whistle blows and the pride of holding a medal – has been robbed from the players, clubs and supporters affected by City’s conduct.
"It’s not about the physical medals," Carragher explained. "It’s about the feeling you get in that moment, the knot in your stomach when the referee blows for a big win.
Those players will never experience that again because Manchester City has taken it away. Even if you handed them a trophy later, it would sit in a cabinet and never evoke the same emotion." The former Liverpool defender believes that while the club itself will face sanctions, the owners must also be held personally accountable.
"The punishment has to reach the top of the hierarchy," he said. "We have supporters, players, the club and the owners – and in this case the owners are the ones who have overseen a decade of illicit financial practices that have left a stain on the game for another ten years." Carragher questioned whether the owners could continue to be involved in English football after the revelations.
He referenced the “fit and proper” test that the Premier League applies to club owners, suggesting that City’s backers have failed that assessment. "They have so much money and power that nobody ever says no to them," he argued. "Until they step away, the blemish on the club remains." He also praised the Premier League for persisting with the case despite the club’s considerable resources.
"The league faced 115 charges and managed to secure convictions on 114 of them. That level of success is essential to restore confidence in the system," Carragher noted, adding that the outcome was unexpected for many who assumed City’s financial clout would shield them from legal repercussions. When discussing the impact on the players who lifted those trophies, Carragher expressed sympathy. He acknowledged that some former City stars have defended the club, but he believes their reputations could be tarnished by an asterisk attached to their achievements.
He singled out Kevin De Bruyne as an example, describing him as "one of the greatest players I've ever seen" and suggesting that the inflated wages De Bruyne earned may have been linked to the financial irregularities under investigation. "If, at the end of his career, the world looks back and labels his decade at Manchester City as a sham, that would be infuriating," Carragher said.
"Players were told everything was fine, that they wouldn’t be punished. Yet the reality is that the league has called the whole operation a sham multiple times." Carragher warned that the longer the controversy drags on, the more former City players might distance themselves from the club, feeling frustration over how their careers will be judged by outsiders. He criticized the club’s recent communications as "gaslighting"—attempts to reassure players, ex‑players and fans while the facts continue to emerge.
In summary, Carragher’s position is clear: Manchester City should lose the titles won during the period of financial misconduct, and the individuals at the helm of the club must face consequences that could include removal from ownership. While he acknowledges that the club may rebuild and continue to field strong teams, he doubts that the current owners can remain in English football without a thorough reassessment of their suitability. The broader implication, he argues, is that football’s integrity depends on holding powerful clubs and their backers accountable, ensuring that the joy and pride associated with winning remain untarnished for players and supporters alike.