Roy Keane said Manchester City players should be "sticking those medals in the bin" after the Premier League found the club guilty of 114 out of 115 charges over a nine-season period. The alleged financial manipulation was estimated at £900 million, and the verdict was framed as affecting eight major trophies City won during that spell. Keane’s point was not about a fine or a points deduction. It was about the legitimacy of the medals themselves.

Keane's attack on City's trophies

Speaking to goal.com, Keane said: "If I was a player, I'd be 100 per cent sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it's cheating. They won it on the pitch because cheating was going on."

That is the hardest line in the debate because it moves the story away from sanction talk and straight into legacy. Keane also said City knew the damage they would cause and went ahead anyway: "They knew it would hurt a lot of people but they've still done it."

His criticism lands especially hard because Manchester City are still winning on the pitch. They are top of the Premier League with 15 points from 5 matches and have won their last 5 league matches, with 13 scored and 5 conceded in that run.

The punishment argument around the ruling

Ian Wright took the same verdict and pushed the discussion toward punishment. Speaking to goal.com, he said: "They told them nothing bad is going on. If you're a player, something is not right."

Wright added: "Unprecedented punishment is required here. It's a massive day for the Premier League. Very messy."

David Bernstein went even further on SPORT1, saying: "The sanctions must not only be financial in nature, they must go far beyond that. If the club’s appeal fails, City cannot stay in the league."

Manchester City have rejected the ruling. Foot Mercato reported that the club said the Commission's decision contained manifest material errors of law, principle and fact, and that it would exercise all available recourse. That keeps the case moving, even if the noise around it has already turned into a question about what the trophies mean. The club's league form will keep the wider argument alive when the appeal process runs its course.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →