Man Utd do not deserve Man City titles – Rooney

Wayne Rooney says his former club, Manchester United, do not deserve to be awarded Premier League titles if rivals Manchester City are stripped of them for breaching financial rules.

City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League.

The financial charges relate to the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, while they were also accused of a failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.

Sanctions are yet to be announced, and City plan to appeal against the decision.

One possible punishment could be the club being stripped of top-flight titles. They have won the Premier League eight times since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2009, three of which were in the period when they were accused of breaking financial rules.

Rooney was part of the United side that finished runners-up to City in 2011-2012 but does not want to be awarded the title retrospectively.

Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, he said: “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.

“I’m thinking, as their players, they’re there doing everything they can to win the Premier League title and in their minds they’ve done it.

“And, if those players have got no understanding of what’s going on above them, then if that happened to me – if all of a sudden Manchester United have been doing the same and I’m getting my Premier League medals taken away from me – I’d be absolutely devastated.

“They might take them away, but I wouldn’t want it because I don’t feel as a team we deserved it that year because we obviously didn’t finish first.”

‘I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated’

Rooney’s former United teammates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea both posted on social media after news of the guilty verdict emerged on Friday, suggesting they should be awarded retrospective title wins.

And former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis said he felt “cheated” after his side were beaten by the Blues in the 2011 FA Cup final.

“When I’ve heard of ex-teammates and people saying, ‘we’ve won another medal’, I’m happy with the five I’ve won,” said Rooney.

“I wouldn’t want this one just sat there… 15 years later or whatever it was, you get a medal because City cheated. I wouldn’t feel comfortable.

“The question is, would I want to receive that medal for finishing second? No.

“Some players might. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting a Premier League medal for finishing second.”

While Rooney is against titles being taken away from City, he does believe they should be relegated.

“I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated,” said the 40-year-old. “However that happens, I don’t know, but I think we’re going to see them get relegated.”

Rooney added: “I’d put them in the lowest league they can go in and then put restrictions on them in terms of how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons.

“If you’re just putting them in the Championship, and I get that’s a massive punishment, they’re going to come back up. Where, I feel, if they have got restrictions… League Two, whatever… that could be very difficult for them.

“For instance, if they got a 20-point deduction for the next three years, then players won’t want to stay there. If it’s a championship for a season, you could talk players round.

‘Period of deception’ – Pochettino on Man City verdict

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, says “we have lived through a period of deception”.

Pochettino managed three clubs in the Premier League during the period covering City’s charges, with the 54-year-old spending 15 months at Southampton, five years at Tottenham and a single season with Chelsea.

“Whatever punishment [they choose], it’s impossible to turn back time,” said Pochettino.

“It’s done a lot of damage. Many clubs followed the rules and some didn’t.

“Maybe they thought that the punishment [wouldn’t come for a lot of years] – what are they going to do? An economic punishment? Docking points? It’s really hard.

“It is a huge sadness. We get into a situation where what got celebrated wasn’t that real, what seemed good maybe wasn’t so good, what didn’t look good maybe was good but couldn’t be good because of what happened.

“We went through something where sporting fairness didn’t exist. So, how do you repair everything that was damaged because of that, if it’s true that all of the 114 rules that were broken, we’ve lived through a period of deception.”​​​​​​​

Earlier this month, Pochettino said Chelsea should be stripped of the 2016-17 Premier League title after being found guilty of historical rule breaches and that it should be “awarded” to his Tottenham side, who finished runners-up.

Sources have told BBC Sport that other top-flight clubs are seeking legal advice over possible compensation claims following the decision against City.

City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 following a four-year investigation.

The club were referred to an independent commission. A behind-closed-doors hearing began in September 2024 and ran for about 12 weeks.

“Where were the controls?” said Pochettino on City being found guilty. “That’s what gets my attention. Where were the controls?

“If I remember being at Southampton, then Tottenham – I remember building [the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] and not having the economic possibility of a transfer for 18 months.

“I think we were the only team in the history of the Premier League with 18 months without [making a transfer].

“Tottenham was fighting for titles with those above us and every year in the top four, getting to the semi-finals of the Champions League without being able to do a transfer for 18 months, all because we needed to get used to the [Premier League financial controls]?

“They were so strict with us but also so lenient with others. Because of that, that’s why I say: it’s all very strange.”

On Tuesday, La Liga president Javier Tebas said he agreed with Pochettino and believes City should face the most severe sanctions possible after an “era of disappointment”.

“In my opinion, the most severe sanction provided for under the Premier League regulations should be applied,” Tebas, 64, told BBC Sport at a summit in London hosted by global players’ union Fifapro.

“Given the number of years involved, the repeated breaches, the denial and the lack of cooperation, the most severe sanction allowed under the Premier League rules is what should be imposed, although I do not know exactly what that sanction would be.”

On Tuesday, La Liga president Javier Tebas said he agreed with Pochettino’s verdict and added: “In my opinion, the most severe sanction provided for under the Premier League regulations should be applied.

“Given the number of years involved, the repeated breaches, the denial and the lack of co-operation, the most severe sanction allowed under the Premier League rules is what should be imposed, although I do not know exactly what that sanction would be,” Tebas, 64, told BBC Sport at a summit in London hosted by global players’ union Fifapro.

The Spaniard added that he had been raising concerns about City’s conduct for “many years”.