Wayne Rooney has rejected the idea of Manchester United being awarded a Premier League title retrospectively if Manchester City are stripped of trophies following their financial rule breaches.
City were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, with the alleged breaches covering the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
The club were also accused of failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.
Sanctions have yet to be announced, while Manchester City are expected to appeal against the verdict.
Rooney refuses retrospective title
Rooney was part of the Manchester United team that finished runners-up to City during the dramatic 2011-12 Premier League title race.
United finished level on points with City, but Roberto Mancini’s side claimed the title on goal difference after Sergio Aguero scored a stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season.
If City were eventually stripped of the title, United could potentially be considered for the championship.
However, Rooney said he would not want to receive another Premier League medal years after the campaign had ended.
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, the former United striker 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.”
Rooney added that United had finished second on the pitch and should not be awarded the championship simply because of any punishment imposed on City.
“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,” he said.
Rooney calls for severe punishment
Although Rooney does not want United to receive the title retrospectively, he believes City could face a major sporting punishment if sanctions are eventually imposed.
The 40-year-old predicted that City could be relegated, although he admitted he did not know what punishment the authorities would ultimately choose.
“I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated,” Rooney said. “However that happens I don’t know but I think we’re going to see them get relegated.”
Rooney went further by suggesting that City should potentially be dropped several divisions and face spending restrictions.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
He also suggested that a points deduction over several seasons could make it harder for City to retain their squad.
Pochettino questions sporting fairness
Rooney’s comments came as several former Premier League figures reacted to City’s verdict.
Former Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea had suggested that United could be entitled to retrospective titles following the verdict.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino also criticised the impact of the alleged breaches.
Pochettino managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea during the period covered by the charges and argued that clubs which followed the financial rules may have been disadvantaged.
“We went through something where sporting fairness didn’t exist,” Pochettino said.
He also questioned why financial controls appeared to have been enforced differently across clubs during his time in the Premier League.
City await their punishment
Manchester City have yet to receive their punishment, meaning the potential impact on their Premier League titles and other sporting achievements remains unclear.
The club also plan to appeal the verdict, while other Premier League clubs are reportedly seeking legal advice over possible compensation claims.
The next major development will therefore be the announcement of sanctions and the subsequent appeal process, which could determine whether City face sporting penalties and whether any retrospective changes to Premier League records are considered.
