Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports analyst, has openly argued that Manchester City should have any trophies won during the period in which the club has been found guilty of serious financial violations stripped away, and that the club's owners ought to be forced out of their positions. His comments come after an independent commission concluded that City breached Premier League financial regulations on every count, a finding the club continues to dispute.
In a video addressed to players and staff, City chief executive Ferran Soriano dismissed the investigation as a "Premier League conspiracy theory" and confirmed that the club intends to appeal the verdict before the October 2 deadline. The ruling covers the years from the 2009/10 season through to 2017/18 – a span in which Manchester City secured three Premier League crowns, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. Carragher said, "I do think Manchester City's titles they've won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list." While he stopped short of insisting that those honours be automatically handed to the runners‑up, he emphasized that the emotional significance of those victories has been robbed from the players, clubs and supporters who earned them. "It's not about the medals themselves," he explained.
"It's about the feeling you get in the stadium when the final whistle blows, the surge of pride that stays with you for years. Those moments have been taken away by City's actions, and no amount of metal on a shelf can replace that loss." He went on to stress that the punishment should target the owners, who sit at the top of the hierarchy and bear ultimate responsibility for the financial misconduct. "The club will be punished, but the people who hold the power – the owners – must also face consequences.
They have enjoyed immense financial clout for a decade, and now that clout has left a stain that will linger for years to come," Carragher said. He questioned how the Premier League's "fit and proper" test could still allow the current ownership to remain involved in English football after such a damning finding.
"Until they step away, I don't see how the club can truly move past this," he added. Carragher expressed both shock and a sense of inevitability regarding the outcome. He noted that Manchester City’s claimed commercial revenues have always seemed implausibly high compared with clubs of similar size, such as Liverpool, Manchester United or even European giants like Real Madrid. "For years they said they were earning that level of income – it just doesn't add up.
And when they claim they have 'irrefutable evidence' of innocence, the reality is that any genuine evidence would have been dealt with swiftly by the authorities," he argued. The former player praised the Premier League for persisting with the case, pointing out that the governing body faced 115 charges and secured convictions on 114 of them, a result that, in his view, demonstrates the seriousness of the violations. When discussing the impact on individual players, Carragher expressed sympathy for those who may now have an asterisk attached to their achievements.
He singled out Kevin De Bruyne as an example of a world‑class talent whose legacy could be tarnished by association. "De Bruyne could have excelled anywhere, but he chose Manchester City, possibly attracted by wages that were inflated by the very financial practices now under scrutiny.
If his decade‑long tenure is later labeled a 'sham,' that would be infuriating," Carragher said. He warned that former players who continue to defend the club might find themselves increasingly isolated as the scandal deepens.
Carragher also highlighted the psychological toll on current squad members. He described the club’s recent communications as "gaslighting" – attempting to reassure players and fans while the reality of the sanctions looms large. "The longer this drags on, the more former players will distance themselves, and the more current players will feel their careers are being judged through a distorted lens," he warned. In summary, Carragher’s stance is clear: Manchester City should lose the titles won during the period of financial misconduct, and the owners who oversaw that era should be removed from their roles.
While he acknowledges that redistributing the trophies to runners‑up is a separate debate, he insists that the emotional and historical value of those victories has been irrevocably damaged. The former defender concluded by affirming his belief that the Premier League’s decisive action sends a strong message about the importance of financial integrity in English football, and that only by holding both the club and its owners accountable can the sport move forward with credibility.