Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Wayne Rooney Says Manchester United Do Not Deserve Premier League Titles If Manchester City Are Stripped
Wayne Rooney says United do not deserve Premier League titles if City are stripped. City found guilty on the majority of 115 financial misconduct charges.
Whether Rooney's support for punishment includes relegation specifics.
5 of 7 outlets skipped it: rooney suggests restrictions could be linked to League Two and points deductions.
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BBC
“‘I do think we're going to see City getting relegated,’ said the 40-year-old.”Read the original ↗
The Guardian
“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,”Read the original ↗
BBC foregrounds relegation; others frame it as the lowest league plus spending limits.
Rooney rejects retro medals
Wayne Rooney said Manchester United do not deserve to be awarded Premier League titles if Manchester City are stripped of them for breaching financial rules, arguing that he would not feel comfortable accepting a retroactive medal. Rooney said on the Stick to United podcast, "I wouldn't feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I'm being honest, because I don't think we deserve 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.”
Rooney said he would be "absolutely devastated" if Manchester United were in the same position and his own Premier League medals were taken away. Rooney also said he expects City to face relegation, adding, "I do think we're going to see City getting relegated."
Debate over punishment
Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea posted on social media after news of the guilty verdict emerged on Friday, suggesting they should be awarded retrospective title wins. Tony Pulis said he felt "cheated" after his side were beaten by the Blues in the 2011 FA Cup final, and he linked that feeling to the debate over medals.
Mauricio Pochettino said, "we have lived through a period of deception", and he argued that "Whatever punishment [they choose], it's impossible to turn back time." Pochettino said the case involved sporting fairness, and he said, "We went through something where sporting fairness didn't exist."
Sanctions and what comes next
Rooney said he would put City in the lowest league they can go in and impose restrictions on how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons. Rooney said, "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."
“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.”
Rooney argued that if the punishment were limited to the Championship, City could come back up, and he said he would go as big as possible, adding, "I'd go as big as I can really." The BBC reported that City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League, and it said sanctions are yet to be announced while City plan to appeal against the decision.B