Jamie Carragher has taken a firm stance on the recent Premier League financial misconduct verdict involving Manchester City, arguing that the club should lose all the trophies it secured during the period in which it was found guilty of breaching financial regulations. He also insists that the club's owners should be ousted from their positions of authority. An independent commission concluded that Manchester City was culpable of every charge related to serious violations of the Premier League's financial rules.
Despite the damning 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 before the deadline of Friday, 2 October.
The sanctions cover a span from the 2009/10 season through the 2017/18 season, a period in which City amassed three Premier League crowns, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. Carragher, who now works as a pundit for 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 added that the emotional impact of those victories has been stolen from the players, clubs and supporters who earned them.
While Carragher believes the honours should be stripped, he hesitated to say whether they should automatically be handed to the runners‑up. "Whether other clubs should get them is slightly different," he explained. "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…" He reflected on his own experience of winning medals, noting that the real value lies in the feeling at the moment of triumph, not in the metal itself.
"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. It's not about medals, it's about feelings, and that's what Manchester City have robbed." Carragher emphasised that the punishment should extend beyond the club to its owners, who he sees as the architects of the misconduct. "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 questioned how the owners could remain involved in English football after a decade of alleged financial impropriety that has left a lasting stain on the sport. "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 acknowledged that Manchester City will likely rebuild and continue to field strong teams, but he doubted the longevity of the current ownership. "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 both shock and a sense of inevitability regarding the verdict. "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 United 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 its perseverance in the case, noting the staggering figure of 114 successful charges out of 115.
"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." Turning to the impact on the club's most celebrated players, Carragher said he feels empathy for them, even as some former stars continue to defend the organisation. He highlighted Kevin De Bruyne as an example of a player whose legacy could be tarnished by the scandal. "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 by an asterisk, it would be "absolutely furious" for the player and for anyone who admired his work. He added that the club's hierarchy has been "gaslighting" players, former players and supporters, feeding them reassurance while the investigation continues. "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, Jamie Carragher believes that the appropriate response to Manchester City's financial breaches is to strip the club of all titles won during the offending period and to remove the owners from their leadership roles, thereby restoring integrity to the competition and protecting the emotional legacy of the players and fans who earned those honours honestly.