Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has suggested an appropriate punishment for Manchester City following their guilty verdict by the Premier League.
Jamie Carragher has called for Manchester City’s trophies from the 2009-2018 period to be stripped after being found guilty of financial breaches by an independent commission. The former Liverpool defender believes the punishment should extend beyond sporting or financial sanctions; he also wants the club’s owners removed from their positions.
City continue to deny the allegations and have confirmed their intention to appeal the verdict, with the club having until October 2 to do so. Speaking as a Sky Sports pundit, Carragher argued that the impact of the breaches extends beyond the club itself.
“I do think Manchester City’s titles they’ve won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list,” Carragher said.
The Liverpool icon was referring to the period between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, during which City won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and one Community Shield.
Carragher stopped short of arguing that those trophies should automatically be awarded to the teams that finished behind City. Instead, he believes the damage caused by the alleged breaches cannot simply be repaired by handing medals to other players.
“Whether other clubs should get them is slightly different,” said Carragher, before adding, “But 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.”
Carragher argued that the damage stems not from medals but from the emotions, the memories of winning, that City’s alleged breaches have robbed rival players and supporters.
“It’s not about medals, it’s about feelings, and that’s what Manchester City have robbed,” he added.
Carragher wants Manchester City owners removed
The former England international also believes the consequences should reach the ownership level. Carragher pointed towards the Premier League’s fit and proper test for owners and argued that City’s alleged conduct, as well as the club’s response to the verdict, should raise questions about whether the ownership can remain in place.
“We talk about a fit and proper test for owners,” he said, before adding, “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.”
The Liverpool legend questioned City’s response and said the ownership’s continued presence could make it difficult for the club to move beyond the controversy. Until they move away from the club, he argued, the stain cannot be removed.
“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 further added.
The appeal’s outcome will determine whether City’s trophies are stripped and how severely the club is sanctioned and, for Carragher, whether the ownership’s continued presence will allow the club to move past the scandal.