Wayne Rooney opposes stripping Manchester City of their titles

One of the biggest financial scandals in the English Premier League in recent years is causing heated debate among the football community and former players. Legendary Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has stated that despite Manchester City being found guilty of 115 financial breaches, the club's previous league titles should not be stripped. As reported by Goal.com, the violations announced by an independent commission have triggered an unprecedented legal process in English football. This is reported by Goal.com reported by.

It has emerged that during the period under review, Manchester City's management used sham contracts and financing schemes. Specifically, more than £900 million was funneled into the club via the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, artificially inflating revenue and concealing expenses. Furthermore, the official ruling noted that the reigning champions attempted to obstruct a four-year investigation and bypassed Premier League and UEFA restrictions.

Giving up medals and effort on the pitch

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Wayne Rooney recalled being part of the Manchester United squad that finished second to Roberto Mancini's team on goal difference at the end of the 2011–2012 season. He stated that if Manchester City were stripped of the title and the medals were awarded to the runners-up, he would not accept them. The former striker believes that not enough was done on the pitch that season, and that deciding a championship in an office, away from the green grass, would be unfair.

In his remarks, Rooney acknowledged that the opposing players worked hard for those victories and expressed human empathy toward them. He emphasized that if the same situation had happened to Manchester United and his own medals were taken away, it would be a heavy blow for him. For this reason, he firmly stated that he is not in favor of rewriting historical results or stripping titles.

Demands for strict sporting sanctions

However, despite supporting the retention of past titles, Rooney insists that strict disciplinary measures must be taken in the future. In his view, for such serious proven violations, the club should be relegated to the lowest league and face strict transfer spending caps for the next three to four seasons. This would serve as a lesson to other clubs in the future.

At present, Manchester City categorically denies all charges and is preparing to appeal the ruling. A separate closed-door hearing awaits to determine the specific punishment for the club. This unprecedented legal battle has become the main topic of English football and is expected to reach a resolution in the coming months.