Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has spoken of his devastation after the Premier League found the club guilty of engaging in an almost £1billion scheme to either inflate revenues or reduce costs through a series of “sham” arrangements.
The eight-time Premier League champions face severe sanctions, although City remain defiant and have immediately declared their intention to appeal.
Richards: 'I would die for that club'
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards said: “The reports were troubling. I saw the words which were used by the Premier League in sham contracts and I felt absolutely devastated.
“I’ve been at that club since I was 14 years old, I would die for that club.
“I achieved my dream at Manchester City, but then to hear these reports, and not only me as an ex-player, but the fans, what they have to go through, absolutely devastating.”
Fan in tears
Richards described speaking to the fan he used to live with as a young player at the club, adding: “My digs man, he rang me and he was literally in tears and asking me about information, which I don’t know, I haven’t got the answers to tell him.
“And that’s someone who’s supported the club for 60-odd years, and the uncertainty around it is just heartbreaking. To have a headline of this nature for a club that I love so much, it’s been difficult.
“If you listen to the reports, they are damning. I feel saddened, I feel angry, I feel a lit bit confused because, on the other side, you have City’s side of the story.”
Keane: 'It's cheating'
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said, if he was a City player, he would throw all the medals in the bin.
Keane said: “They knew it would hurt a lot of people, but they’ve still done it, and, if I was a player, I’d be 100 per cent sticking those medals in the bin.
“It’s cheating. You’re hearing nonsense about some ex-players saying, `Oh well, they won on the pitch’. Because it was cheating! It was cheating going on.”
