Keane says City players should discard medals if titles are removed

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has said Manchester City players should discard their medals if the club is stripped of titles over alleged financial-rule breaches. Speaking ahead of England’s match against the Czech Republic, Keane told ITV Sport that the players’ achievements during the period under investigation had been undermined by the alleged misconduct. “If I was a player, I’d be 100% sticking those medals in the bin,” Keane said.

“Of course you would, it’s cheating.” He added that City had won the trophies on the pitch while alleged cheating was taking place. The Premier League has found City guilty of breaching its financial rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The club denies wrongdoing and is expected to appeal the decision.

City won eight trophies during the period, including three Premier League titles. Possible sanctions have not yet been announced, but the removal of titles is among the potential punishments cited in the source material. Keane also criticised the club, saying its actions would hurt many people.

He did not distinguish between the players and the club’s alleged conduct when arguing that the medals would lose their value. Former United teammate Wayne Rooney offered a different view on whether United should receive titles retrospectively if City were stripped of them. Rooney, whose team finished runners-up to City in 2011-12, said he would not feel comfortable accepting another medal because United had not done enough to win the league.

Rooney said he would understand the disappointment of City players who may not have known about activities taking place above them.