Manchester United players should not be awarded Premier League medals if Manchester City are stripped of titles won during their period of financial rule-breaking, according to a new opinion piece. The argument holds that these honours should instead be wiped from history entirely.
The debate follows Manchester City being found guilty of 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations. The club artificially inflated revenue by around £900 million through contracts described as "sham" by the top flight. City continue to insist on their innocence and are appealing against the independent panel's findings, while lawyers for affected clubs are preparing compensation claims.
United's 2011/12 collapse
David De Gea, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have said they would welcome another Premier League medal. Of the three United teams that finished second to City, the 2011/12 squad has the strongest case, having finished 19 points ahead of third-placed Arsenal. However, the article argues that winning just three of their last six league games was not the form of a team unlucky to miss out. A 1-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic was followed by a collapse at home to Everton, where leads of 3-1 and 4-2 were squandered in the final 10 minutes. The following week, Vincent Kompany's header in the title decider at the Etihad put the title into City's hands with two games to go.
Wayne Rooney has said he would not feel comfortable being handed a medal for that season if City are stripped of the title, despite scoring 27 goals in 34 league games.
The 2017/18 and 2020/21 seasons
United also finished second to City in the 2017/18 season, when City finished 19 points ahead of Jose Mourinho's side. United beat City at the Etihad that season with a second-half comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2, but then lost at home to already relegated West Brom the following weekend, handing the league to City. Mourinho's side finished four points ahead of Tottenham in third and six clear of Liverpool in fourth. Mourinho responded to the cheating outcome by saying: "Maybe they punish Man City with points, and maybe we win that league. Then they have to pay me the bonus and give me my medal."
Juan Mata joined De Gea's calls for a medal, but defeats at Huddersfield Town, draws over Christmas against Leicester, Burnley and Southampton, and losses to West Brom and Brighton at the end of the campaign weaken the case for players like Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo, Marouane Fellaini, Matteo Darmian and others.
In the 2020/21 season, United finished second again to Pep Guardiola's team, with 74 points – five clear of Liverpool and seven ahead of Chelsea, but 12 behind City. A 2-1 home defeat against Sheffield United in January ended title aspirations, despite an unbeaten run of four months. The article argues that players like Brandon Williams, Alex Telles, Fred, Axel Tuanzebe, Donny van de Beek and Dan James would gain no glory from being made league winners retrospectively.
Compensation over medals
The piece concludes that no player from any club should pick up a medal for finishing runner-up to City in any competition. Instead, they should launch lawsuits for loss of earnings through contractual bonuses that an illegal team denied them. No team should be retrospectively awarded anything if City are stripped of their honours from the past 15 years. The wronged clubs should pursue compensation for prize money, lost future revenues from European competition, and missed sponsorship and commercial opportunities. Everything City won should be erased from history and left blank, ensuring the club and officials who allowed such ownership to stain it can never be ignored.
