Carragher explains why he was never convinced
Manchester City were found guilty by an independent commission of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. Three of the four alleged breaches concerning cooperation with the league’s investigation were also upheld, while City continue to deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal.
The verdict was significant, but Jamie Carragher says the underlying conclusion was not unexpected from his perspective. According to Sky Sports’ report on Carragher’s reaction, he said: “I always felt they were guilty for two simple reasons.”
His first concern related to Manchester City’s commercial income. Carragher argued that he never considered it credible that City could generate sponsorship and commercial revenues comparable with historically global clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid during the period in question.
His second argument centred on the length of the case. City have repeatedly maintained that they possess overwhelming evidence supporting their innocence, but Carragher questioned why the dispute had continued for so many years if the evidence was as decisive as the club claimed.
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He wants City’s trophies removed
Carragher’s response goes considerably further than simply welcoming the verdict. He believes the trophies Manchester City won during the period covered by the serious financial breaches should be removed from the club’s official record.
Between 2009-10 and 2017-18, City won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and one Community Shield. Carragher stopped short of arguing that those honours should automatically be awarded to the teams that finished second, saying that handing someone a medal years later could never recreate the experience of actually winning at the time.
His criticism is therefore aimed as much at what rival players and supporters lost as at what City gained. Carragher believes the decisive emotional moments attached to winning titles cannot now be recreated, regardless of how the authorities eventually decide to treat the historical honours.
Carragher questions whether the owners can stay
Carragher also believes punishment should extend beyond Manchester City as a football club. He argued that responsibility ultimately lies with the people who controlled the organisation and questioned whether the current ownership can remain in English football following the commission’s findings.
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“I don’t know how the owners can continue in English football,” Carragher said. He argued that Manchester City itself will continue, with supporters, players and future teams remaining part of the club, but believes the findings have created a stain that cannot easily be separated from those who were in charge.
The commission found that City used commercial arrangements it described as “sham” agreements to inflate revenues and reduce costs. According to the Premier League’s official statement, those schemes improved City’s reported financial position by more than £900 million during the affected period and allowed the club to appear compliant with financial rules.
City continue to fight the verdict
Manchester City strongly reject the commission’s conclusions. In the club’s official response to the ruling, City maintained that a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” supports its position and confirmed that it will pursue the available appeal avenues.
No punishment has yet been decided, meaning there has been no official move to strip City of trophies or remove the ownership. The sanction will be determined separately, while the appeal process means the underlying findings themselves remain subject to further legal challenge.
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For Carragher, however, the verdict has confirmed suspicions he says he held long before the commission published its findings. His proposed response would go far beyond a fine or points deduction, striking at both the legacy of City’s first years of dominance and the ownership that presided over them.
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