“It’s cheating” – Roy Keane tells Man City players to bin their medals after guilty verdict

Roy Keane did not hold back when asked about Manchester City’s guilty verdict.

Despite it being in the middle of an international break, it’s been a big week for the Premier League. Manchester City were found guilty of all charges brought against them for financial breaches. That’s 115 in total.

With Manchester United assessing the situation, and with a potential £200m+ windfall, it remains to be seen what the sanctions will be. Every man and his dog has an opinion on what punishments City should face.

City have since issued a critical statement expressing disappointment and surprise after an independent Commission found them guilty of severe financial rule breaches. They have until Friday, 2 October, to exercise their right to appeal.

Roy Keane slams Man City for “cheating”

Former United and Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane delivered a furious verdict on City’s guilty verdict. Like the rest of us, he is appalled at the club’s behaviour and believes they’ve betrayed the players who have worn the blue shirt since Sheikh Mansour fronted the Abu Dhabi takeover.

While City claim they have “irrefutable evidence”, which they’ve thus far been unwilling to provide, the independent Commission stated that they failed to co-operate with the investigation.

Keane voiced his frustration toward City and urged the players to ‘bin’ the medals they won during that period (between 2009/10 and 2017/18). Speaking to ITV Sport, Keane said: “Well, do you know what? They knew it would hurt a lot of people, and they still done it.

“And if I was a player with that bit of success and praise that we’ve been given a lot of credit for – but if I was a player I’d be 100% sticking them medals in the bin.”

The Irishman was then asked if he’d feel let down if he were a player at City. He added: “Oh 100% of course, of course you would. It’s cheating. You’re hearing nonsense from ex-players saying ‘oh well they won on the pitch’. Because there was cheating. There was cheating going on.

“I think it’s going to be very difficult for the players, for the manager. The trust, the belief in whatever’s gone on at the football club, what they stand for when you’ve got owners who are quite happy cheating.

“It’s very difficult for these players going forward to try and maintain the level of excellence that they’ve been [displaying].”

Keane wasn’t the only former footballer in the ITV Sport studio to express disgust at City being guilty of all 115 charges. Former Arsenal star Ian Wright said: “You know what it is as well, they’ve told the players. The players, the fans, they’ve all believed them, they’ve tried to stand behind their club, but they told them that nothing bad’s going on.

“And now what is it? 115 charges, 114 charges? And they’ve been telling people. So if you are a player, something’s not right with you, you’re thinking this ain’t right.

“We’re not meant to be seeing this, it’s unprecedented what we’re seeing right now and it’s sad for everybody. But in respect of the owners and what they’ve done? Terrible, terrible.”

There will be a lot more commentary on this over the coming days and weeks, as we await City’s appeal and a decision over the sanctions they face.