Roy Keane tells Man City players to bin their Premier League medals after guilty verdict

Roy Keane has said Manchester City players should “stick their Premier League medals in the bin” following the club’s landmark guilty verdict on financial rule breaches, delivered by an independent Premier League commission on Tuesday.

The panel found City guilty of breaching financial regulations across nine years, from 2009 to 2018. The club, which was originally charged in 2023 and has always denied any wrongdoing, is understood to be planning an appeal against the verdict.

Speaking after England’s win over Czechia on Tuesday night, Keane was unsparing in his verdict. “They knew it would hurt a lot of people, but they still did it,” he said. “And if I was a player with the success of the last few years — I’d 100 per cent be sticking those medals in the bin.”

City now face a nervous wait for their punishment, with a separate panel set to determine the sanctions. Speculation is mounting over whether the club could be stripped of titles won during the period covered by the breaches. Relegation, a significant points deduction, and a substantial fine are all among the potential outcomes, though any punishment will be subject to the appeal process.

If Keane’s sentiment were acted upon, some of the Premier League era’s most celebrated players would be affected. City’s title-winning squads during the relevant period include icons such as Sergio Agüero, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Touré, David Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne.

The 2011/12 title — City’s most famous, sealed by Agüero’s stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day to pip Manchester United on goal difference — falls within the timeframe. So does the 2013/14 campaign, in which Manuel Pellegrini’s side edged a three-way title race against Liverpool and Chelsea by two points, a season remembered as much for Steven Gerrard’s slip at Anfield as for City’s triumph.

The full scale of the consequences for one of English football’s dominant clubs of the past decade remains to be determined, with the appeal process likely to extend the uncertainty for months to come.