Gerrard demands City be stripped of titles and 'made to suffer' after 114 financial breaches ruling

Steven Gerrard has demanded Manchester City be stripped of their titles and subjected to a prolonged points deduction and transfer ban following the club’s guilty verdict on 114 Premier League financial rule breaches, with City’s appeal still pending.

The former Liverpool captain, speaking on The Overlap, said he wants the Premier League to “make them suffer” in the same way he believes City’s conduct damaged rivals over the best part of a decade. Gerrard, 46, was careful to separate the club from its players, saying individual footballers should not be forced to return medals, but argued the institution must be held accountable.

“The club, they have to be stripped,” Gerrard said. “There needs to be an example set, historically — whether that’s a star throughout all the years of their achievements — because then it doesn’t matter whether the titles are stripped or not, as soon as that star is there, then everyone knows that success happened because of what we all know happened.”

Among the trophies Gerrard believes should be marked is City’s 2013-14 Premier League title, won ahead of Liverpool on goal difference in one of the division’s most dramatic finishes. City deny all charges and have lodged a formal appeal against the independent commission’s findings.

Gerrard acknowledged the complexity of a relegation punishment, arguing it would be unfair on the EFL Championship to have a club of City’s resources parachuted into the second tier and effectively block a promotion place. Instead, he advocated for sanctions that play out within the top flight over several seasons.

“I think it needs to be a transfer ban, a points deduction over a period of time and make them suffer like they’ve made everyone suffer over the nine, ten years that they’ve done it,” he said. “They were strong with Everton, strong with Forest for much smaller breaches. Good luck to the Premier League, but they have to be strong.”

City’s on-field form has not been disrupted by the legal proceedings. They beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield at the weekend, with Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki all on the scoresheet. Enzo Maresca’s side next turn their attention to a Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain.