Jamie Carragher has denied accusations of hypocrisy after previously saying he would "rather cheat and win than not win" as a player, following his calls for Manchester City to be punished for breaching Premier League financial rules.
The pundit has consistently argued that City should have their Premier League titles taken away if found guilty of cheating, and has called for point deductions and punishments spanning several seasons. He has also cast doubt on the club's owners remaining in charge. City are appealing the independent commission's decision, with an appeal board hearing scheduled.
Resurfaced comments spark criticism
Carragher's comments were made on a podcast in 2022 and have since resurfaced on social media. In episode 206 of 'The Diary of a CEO', he said: "Football, for me, is a way of life, and winning is all that matters."
He added: "For me, when I played, I'd rather cheat and win than not win. I don't think I'll ever be any different."
Simon Jordan weighs in
Simon Jordan responded on talkSPORT's 'White and Jordan' programme on Tuesday, saying: "He'll feel that perhaps he shouldn't have said that because it wasn't really necessary for Jamie to have said that."
Jordan continued: "I think that it doesn't alter the fact that what he is saying about Man City has resonance. Just because most people in life are hypocrites, they are; they just might not choose to admit it. He's been caught in a hypocritical moment where he's been a hypocrite. That doesn't alter the veracity or the efficacy of what he's saying."
Carragher's response
Carragher replied on X: "No, it's not hypocritical. I'm talking about my striker diving for a penalty, me stopping a ball going over the line with my hand! I'm not talking about 900M in fake sponsorship over a number of years."
Jordan has since responded, saying: "If you're going to make imperious judgements, then you need to be beyond reproach, and if you're not beyond reproach because you've opened your mouth previously and said something I think was silly for Jamie... he has been caught in a hypocritical moment."
He added: "Cheating is cheating. If you want to be judge, jury and executioner, and as much as it sticks in my craw, without allowing Manchester City due process, then expect to be judged by the standards you are wanting others to be judged by."
