The Premier League has found Manchester City guilty of financial misconduct involving nearly £1 billion, a ruling that has left former defender Micah Richards devastated. The league concluded that City engaged in “sham” deals designed to inflate revenue or reduce expenditure artificially, allowing the club to bypass both Premier League and UEFA financial regulations. City immediately announced plans to appeal the decision.
Richards, who joined City’s academy at 14 and went on to fulfil his dream of playing for the club, spoke about the impact of the news on his connection to the club and its supporters. Appearing on The Rest is Football podcast, he said, "I saw the words which were used by the Premier League in sham contracts and I felt absolutely devastated." He recalled hearing from his former landlord, a lifelong City supporter, who was “literally in tears” over the situation. "He was asking me about information, which I don’t know, I haven’t got the answers to tell him," Richards added.
City’s status as eight-time Premier League champions now hangs in the balance, though the exact punishment remains unconfirmed. The fallout is expected to ripple throughout English football, raising concerns about the integrity of the league and the broader consequences for clubs and players.
Richards expressed frustration at the uncertainty, saying, "If Man City do the appeal and they get off, it’s still going to be tarnished. And, if they’re found guilty after the appeal, what happens then? And it’s not just Man City fans or Man City players, it’s the whole of the Premier League comes into question." He suggested the issue could linger for years.
The reaction from former players has been sharp. Roy Keane, speaking on ITV, said he would throw his medals in the bin if he were a City player. "They knew it would hurt a lot of people, but they’ve still done it," Keane said. "It’s cheating. You’re hearing nonsense about some ex-players saying, ‘Oh well, they won on the pitch’. Because it was cheating! It was cheating going on."
Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender, told Sky Sports News he felt sympathy for City’s squad and rival players who missed out on trophies. "I feel for the players… they’ll almost feel like a lot of their career is going to have an asterisk, or a lot of people will be calling it a sham," Carragher said. He criticised the club’s leadership for misleading players, describing their current statements as “gaslighting.”
Carragher also called for the titles to be stripped from City’s record. "I think the titles should be taken off their list. Whether other clubs get them is probably slightly different. City have not just hurt their own players." He reflected on the emotional side of winning trophies: "No-one remembers the medal. Giving trophies or medals back, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not about medals, it’s about feelings."
City’s next Premier League fixture is against Liverpool on 11 October, a match that has been one of the defining rivalries of the last decade. Carragher noted that Liverpool have become the biggest losers in this saga. "The atmosphere will be electric. In the last five years, Liverpool v Manchester City has been ‘the’ game of the Premier League."
Manchester City remain defiant and are pursuing an immediate appeal against the Premier League’s findings. The scale of the financial misconduct and the responses it has provoked make this one of the most significant controversies in recent English football history.
According to Yahoo Sports.