Lineker urges Manchester City to 'own it' and accept punishment after guilty verdict

Gary Lineker has urged Manchester City to stop contesting their financial misconduct verdict and “accept whatever punishment comes” their way, warning that continued resistance is damaging the sport.

An independent commission concluded that more than £830m of owner funding was used to inflate revenues and enable City to comply with Premier League and UEFA regulations through a series of “sham” arrangements covering the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons. The club have protested their innocence and lodged an appeal.

“Obviously, it looks really bad for Manchester City, and bad for the game, too,” the former England captain said at a Leaders Week conference at Stamford Bridge. “I’d love to see Man City now just own it and just say, ‘OK, we got it wrong but for the good of the game, we’ll accept it and we’ll accept whatever punishment comes our way and we’ll carry on. That would be a blessing and save their face a little bit at the moment, although it doesn’t look likely.”

Asked whether City should be stripped of the three Premier League titles they won during the period in question, Lineker said he “wouldn’t be surprised if it goes down that route”, though he acknowledged the human cost: “But who suffers from that? The players and the fans.”

Kyle Walker, who spent eight years at City winning the Champions League and 12 major domestic honours before his departure in 2025, said the players would always cherish their memories regardless of the outcome. “The lads, we spent many and many a great year celebrating many trophies and that’s something that, whatever happens, they can’t take away from us because we’ve experienced them nights,” the Burnley right-back said.

In a statement released last Friday, City maintained their innocence in firm terms. “The club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe,” the club said. “The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions relating to this case.”

Former City manager Pep Guardiola has also publicly reiterated his support for the club since the verdict was announced.