Roy Keane calls for Man City stars to 'stick those medals in the bin' after club found guilty of £900m financial sham

The Premier League has officially condemned Manchester City for manipulating their financial accounts. An independent panel, which concluded its hearing in December 2024, found the club guilty of 114 out of 115 charges relating to a nine-season period. During this era of alleged misconduct, City secured eight major trophies.

According to Premier League statement, the Etihad outfit utilised "sham" agreements with commercial partners to artificially boost revenue and lower operating costs. These deals falsely altered the club's financial standing by an estimated £900 million.

The governing body revealed that sponsors only paid a fraction of their agreed fees. The remaining balance was secretly funded by the club’s owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), allowing City to circumvent spending restrictions and gain an illegal sporting advantage.

Speaking on ITV Sport following England's Nations League victory over Czechia, Keane did not hold back. The former Manchester United captain insisted that City's on-pitch achievements are now permanently tainted by the boardroom's actions.

"They knew it would hurt a lot of people but they've still done it," Keane declared. "If I was a player, I'd be 100 per cent sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it's cheating. They won it on the pitch because cheating was going on."

Keane also questioned how current manager Enzo Maresca and his squad can move forward under the current administration. He added: "I think it's going to be very difficult for the players and the manager, the club, what they stand for, when you've got owners who are happy cheating. It's hard to maintain a level of excellence."

Arsenal legend Ian Wright echoed these sentiments, aiming his frustration directly at the club's hierarchy for deceiving their own dressing room. "They told them nothing bad is going on. If you're a player, something is not right," Wright said. "It's very unprecedented and sad for everybody. The owners and what they've done, terrible."

The fallout from this verdict casts a dark shadow over City's modern dominance. By artificially inflating their income, the club was able to spend significantly more than Premier League regulations permitted, directly impacting their domestic rivals who operated within the financial rules.

Wright emphasised the monumental nature of the ruling and demanded serious repercussions for the systemic breaches. Speaking before the match broadcast, the Arsenal legend stated: "Unprecedented punishment is required here. It's a massive day for the Premier League. Very messy."

City must now navigate an incredibly hostile environment, starting with a daunting away fixture against Liverpool. Wright highlighted the profound significance of this particular clash, noting how Jurgen Klopp's former side were the primary victims of City's financial breaches during their peak rivalry. "It's a problem for them to be going to Liverpool," Wright observed. "In their real time, Liverpool were the team chasing them down. Look at what Jurgen Klopp went through to break them - it probably broke him."

Maresca faces a monumental task in keeping his squad focused amidst intense global scrutiny. With the prospect of unprecedented sporting sanctions looming over the Etihad, City's immediate future both on and off the pitch remains highly uncertain.