Roy Keane tells Man City stars to ‘stick medals in the bin’ after house owners ‘happy to cheat’
Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges relating to serious financial rule breaches over a nine-season period, with Roy Keane furiously calling on the players to discard their medals
Roy Keane delivered a furious verdict on Manchester City’s guilty verdict(Image: Getty)
Manchester United icon Roy Keane has lashed out at Manchester City for ‘cheating’ and urged the players to discard their medals after the Premier League announced they had been found guilty of all charges related to serious violations of the Premier League’s financial regulations over a nine-season stretch.
They were also convicted on most charges concerning their failure to cooperate with the League’s investigation. The current Premier League frontrunners now face the prospect of harsh penalties after an independent commission determined they had ‘clearly intended to circumvent Premier League rules’ over a nine-season span.
The club have until the end of the week to appeal, and maintain their innocence.
Manchester City have been found guilty by the independent commission following their legal battle with the Premier League.(Image: PA Wire)
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City were discovered to have participated in a scheme worth nearly £1billion to either boost revenues or cut costs through a series of “sham” agreements, in an attempt to bypass both league and UEFA financial rules. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters labelled the case, and the verdict, as “the most significant in Premier League history”, with the league’s investigation having initially begun back in 2018.
More than 100 charges were levelled against City in February 2023, with the commission hearing the case between September and December 2024. The same commission that issued the verdict will now consider what sanctions should be imposed, while the club quickly declared their plan to appeal, asserting the decision “contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”.
Speaking to ITV Sport, Keane stated: “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 given a lot of credit for – but if I was a player I’d be 100% sticking them medals in the bin.”
When questioned if he’d feel betrayed by the club as a player, he responded: “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.”
Roy Keane and Ian Wright have had their say on Man City’s guilty verdict.(Image: Getty)
“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].”
Fellow pundit Ian Wright commented: ” 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.”
