Jamie Carragher has taken a firm stance on the recent Premier League financial‑rules scandal involving Manchester City, arguing that the club should be stripped of every trophy it secured while the breaches were taking place and that the owners should be removed from their positions. In his view, the penalties should extend beyond the club itself to the individuals at the top who benefited from the illicit financial practices.
An independent commission has concluded that Manchester City violated all of the serious financial regulations set by the Premier League. The findings cover a period stretching from the 2009/10 season through to the 2017/18 campaign – a span in which City amassed an impressive haul of silverware: three Premier League crowns, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. Despite the damning verdict, 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 2 October to lodge its challenge. Carragher, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, said he believes the titles won during the tainted era should be removed from Manchester City’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 the network.
However, he hesitated to endorse the automatic redistribution of those honours to the runners‑up. "Whether other clubs should get them is slightly different," he explained, emphasizing that the core issue lies in the loss of the emotional experience for the players, supporters and clubs that were denied a fair competition. He illustrated his point by recalling his own memories of winning medals: "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 argues that the intangible sense of achievement – the rush of adrenaline when a final whistle signals victory – cannot be compensated by a physical trophy placed on a shelf. Beyond the club’s punitive measures, Carragher insists that the owners must also face consequences.
"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 whether the current owners could remain involved in English football after a decade‑long period of financial misconduct that, in his opinion, has left a permanent stain on the club's reputation. Carragher referenced the "fit and proper" test that is supposed to assess the suitability of 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," he said, criticizing the club’s refusal to accept the findings. He accused the owners of wielding overwhelming financial power that shields them from accountability: "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." He praised the Premier League for its persistence, noting that the governing body pursued 115 charges and secured convictions on 114 of 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 remarked, expressing surprise that the league was able to overcome the financial clout of Manchester City in a legal context. The former Liverpool defender also reflected on how the scandal might affect the legacy of City’s star players from that era. He expressed sympathy for the current squad and for former icons such as Kevin De Bruyne, who, in Carragher’s opinion, may see his decade‑long tenure at the club tarnished by an asterisk. "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, I'd be furious," Carragher said.
He warned that some players have been reassured by the club’s hierarchy that everything is fine, but the ongoing controversy could erode that confidence and lead to a loss of support from ex‑players over time. Carragher’s comments underscore a broader debate within football about how to handle clubs that breach financial regulations. While some argue for the removal of titles and financial penalties, others contend that retroactively altering historical records could set a problematic precedent.
Nonetheless, Carragher’s position is clear: the emotional integrity of the sport has been compromised, and the owners who enabled the misconduct must be held accountable, even if that means removing them from the club entirely. In summary, Jamie Carragher believes that Manchester City’s achievements between 2009 and 2018 should be expunged from the record books, that the club should face substantial sanctions, and that the owners should be forced out of their roles.
He stresses that the true loss lies not in the physical trophies but in the stolen sense of triumph experienced by players, fans, and rival clubs, a loss that can only be remedied through decisive action against both the institution and its leadership.