Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has spoken about Manchester City's situation. The Citizens are waiting for the FA's sanction demand after breaching 114 financial rules. Carrick says he has been "personally affected" by City's actions.
City broke no fewer than 114 rules between 2009 and 2018, the FA recently concluded. During that period, the club hid income worth around one billion euros through sham contracts with commercial partners. In those nine years, City won the Premier League three times, the FA Cup three times and the Carabao Cup once.
Carrick finished as Premier League runner-up twice with United during that spell. In 2012, City won the title thanks to Sergio Agüero's legendary stoppage-time goal against QPR. In 2018, with Carrick serving as assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United again finished second behind City.
"Football is about the desire to win, the emotion and the feeling you get when you win. A lot of that takes place in the moment itself," Carrick was quoted as saying at the press conference before the match with Tottenham Hotspur by, among others, the BBC.
"You cannot undo that. That is the moment you are striving for. That is essentially what we all do it for. That is the feeling we all long for. The beauty of trying to win trophies is the journey towards it and then the final."
"You win or you lose. Once that has happened, there is no way back. I do not want to sound indifferent about it, but in any sport, if you receive a medal later, it does not give the same feeling as winning in the moment itself."
Premier League guidelines suggest the investigation should be completed around Christmas. If that happens, the sanction demand will be announced at the start of 2027. Whether the investigation will actually be finished by the end of this year remains unclear because of the scale of the scandal.
"It has raised many questions," Carrick continued. "Some got answers, others did not. I certainly have questions about it myself as well. It has affected me personally in various ways over a certain period."
Carrick would not be drawn on whether the titles won between 2009 and 2018 should be taken away from City. "What I do want to say is that it is essential in everyone's interest that this is resolved as quickly as possible."
"It is unprecedented, a unique situation at this level, with such an enormous impact in so many ways. We all need to know what is going to happen," Carrick concluded.
United have made a poor start to the season with five points from five matches, but they are still doing better than their opponents, bottom side and Carrick's former club Spurs, who have yet to score and have only two points.