Pulis says he feels cheated after Man City found guilty of 114 financial breaches

Tony Pulis says he feels “cheated” by Manchester City following Friday’s verdict that found the club guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules — a ruling that covers the period in which City beat his Stoke side 1-0 in the 2011 FA Cup final at Wembley.

The charges, originally 115 in number, related to infractions of Premier League financial rules and regulations over a nine-year period spanning 2009 to 2018. City were found guilty of all but one. The verdict, which came after a three-year investigation, now leaves the rest of the Premier League waiting to learn what punishment will be imposed.

Possible sanctions range from fines and points deductions to transfer embargoes, with the most severe options including the stripping of titles won during the period of the breaches and expulsion from the league entirely.

For Pulis, now 68, no sanction can restore what was lost on that May afternoon at Wembley. Yaya Touré scored the only goal in the 74th minute to hand City the fifth FA Cup in their history, sending Stoke back to the Midlands empty-handed.

“I don’t expect Manchester City to phone me or the club up and offer back the 2011 FA Cup and the winners’ medals their players received,” Pulis wrote in his BBC column. “I don’t seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either. A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely.”

“But I still feel cheated. Whatever happens next, we won’t ever get that day back and the chance to celebrate around Stoke-on-Trent with the cup and medals we so honestly fought for. After breaking the rules, Manchester City got to do that instead.”

Pulis also pointed to the financial disparity on the pitch that day, noting that Touré — signed from Barcelona for around £24 million in July 2010 — was reportedly earning ten times the wages of Stoke’s players, and that his transfer fee alone exceeded the combined value of the Potters’ entire starting eleven.

Manchester City are expected to appeal the verdict, having consistently maintained their innocence throughout the process.