Rooney says Man United do not deserve Man City titles if stripped

Wayne Rooney has shut the door on one of the big questions hanging over the Manchester City case. United's all-time leading scorer does not want his former club awarded Premier League titles retrospectively if City end up stripped of them as part of the sanctions for their financial breaches. His reasoning is simple: United did not do enough in those seasons and receiving a trophy in the office rather than on the pitch would not sit well with him.

• Rooney says he would feel uncomfortable accepting a winners' medal for finishing second.
• City were found guilty of most of the 115 Premier League charges and will appeal.
• The former striker backs relegation for City plus heavy spending restrictions.
• Mauricio Pochettino describes the case as "a period of deception".
• Several Premier League clubs are exploring legal options for compensation claims.

What the Premier League verdict means for Manchester City's 115 charges

Manchester City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. The financial breaches relate to the period from 2009-10 through to 2017-18, with the club also accused of failing to cooperate with investigations between December 2018 and February 2023. The process followed a four-year investigation, a referral to an independent commission and a behind-closed-doors hearing that began in September 2024 and lasted around 12 weeks.

Sanctions have not yet been announced and City have confirmed their intention to appeal. Stripping top-flight titles remains one of the possible punishments. Since Sheikh Mansour's takeover in 2009, City have won the Premier League eight times, three of those in the period covered by the financial charges.

Why Rooney does not want United handed the 2011-12 title

Rooney was part of the United side that finished as runners-up to City in 2011-12, one of the seasons under scrutiny. Even so, he has no interest in seeing that league end up in Old Trafford's trophy cabinet through a panel decision. Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, he said he would not feel right about accepting another medal because the team simply did not earn it.

I wouldn't feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I'm being honest, because I don't think we deserve it. We didn't do enough that season to win the league.

Rooney also put himself in the shoes of City's players. He admitted he would be devastated if medals won on the pitch were taken away because of decisions made above his head. As for receiving a title after finishing second, he was categorical: some players might accept it, but he would not.

Ferdinand and De Gea saw it differently on social media

Reaction from Rooney's former teammates went the other way. Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea both posted after the guilty verdict emerged, hinting that United should be handed the titles in retrospect. Rooney, though, said he is happy with the five league medals he won and has no desire to add a sixth this way.

Tony Pulis, whose Stoke City side lost the 2011 FA Cup final to City, also said he felt cheated. That final falls inside the period covered by the charges and has reopened the wider conversation about how far sporting compensation should go.

The punishment Rooney does support: relegation and spending limits

While Rooney is against stripping titles, he does expect City to be relegated. His ideal punishment would be to drop the club to the lowest league possible and impose spending restrictions for the next three or four seasons. A single season in the Championship, however painful, would still allow City to bounce straight back.

In his view, the key is combining relegation with serious financial limits. If City landed in League Two under those conditions, rebuilding would become extremely difficult. A brief stop in the second tier, by contrast, might leave room to convince key players to stay.

Pochettino calls the situation "a period of deception"

Mauricio Pochettino went further, framing the case as part of an era without sporting fairness. The Argentine managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea during the years covered by the charges and argued that time cannot be turned back. In his eyes, the damage has already been done to the clubs that followed the rules.

Pochettino recalled his Tottenham spell, marked by the stadium build and 18 months without a single transfer. He claimed Spurs were the only club in Premier League history to go so long without signing anyone, forced to squeeze into the financial controls. Seeing that strictness applied to some and not others strikes him as deeply strange.

Premier League clubs pursue compensation claims after City verdict

The fallout goes beyond the sporting side. Several top-flight clubs are now seeking legal advice over possible compensation claims following the decision against City. If sanctions such as relegation or title stripping are confirmed, the battle could shift to the courts and drag on for years.

City were formally charged by the Premier League in February 2023 after an investigation lasting four campaigns. The case then went to an independent commission, with a private hearing starting in September 2024 and running for about 12 weeks. The verdict has landed, but the club's planned appeal leaves the final outcome unresolved.