Paul Scholes has told Martin Keown to “do one” after the former Arsenal defender suggested Manchester City's titles between 2009 and 2018 should be stripped from the history books following their guilty verdict.
The Premier League announced last week that City had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them, with the club accused of utilising “sham” sponsorship agreements to artificially boost their revenue by nearly £900million across a nine-year period. City have robustly denied any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal against the verdict last Thursday. The club maintains it is “innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League” and asserts it possesses “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to substantiate its position.
Scholes posts on X
One point of contention from City in their appeal is that the additional financing came from the Abu Dhabi government rather than the club's owners, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). Such arrangements are permitted under Premier League regulations.
Amid the continuing controversy surrounding City's charges, Scholes took to X to express his views. He posted: “Keep hearing ex-teammates say they want trophies taken off them, but they don't want their medals... f*** that, I'm a greedy b******, I want my medal.”
Keown and Jordan respond
Both Keown and Simon Jordan took issue with his remarks on talkSPORT. Keown replied: “How many does he need? He's got a dozen or so already, but I can't tell him how to behave or think. For me, I just think it should be void. I think if we're going to take away Man City's trophies throughout that period it should be made void.”
Former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan remarked: “I was always thought Paul Scholes was a very balanced individual who made sensible points. Maybe his experience in management at Oldham has corrupted his thinking because all of a sudden he's got a podcast and he feels that he and Nicky [Butt] have got to say controversial things. I think he's a bit better than that, really.”
Scholes hits back
Scholes subsequently replied to the talkSPORT video on Instagram. Taking aim at Jordan, the ex-United midfielder commented: “Pot, Kettle, Black, Simon.” He then fired back at Keown, stating: “And you can do one with that 'void season' nonsense.”
Scholes isn't the sole former Manchester United player to question whether they might receive additional Premier League medals should City eventually be stripped of their titles. Ex-United goalkeeper David de Gea also entered the conversation, posting on X: “So...... Let's talk. How many Premier League titles have I won then?” Former defender Rio Ferdinand seemingly joined the debate too, sharing: “Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet.”
Fortunately for Scholes, he already possesses an impressive haul of Premier League winners' medals. The former midfielder claimed the title on 11 occasions throughout his distinguished career, with his first triumph arriving in 1996. His last Premier League crown came in 2013, when he helped United secure silverware during Sir Alex Ferguson's farewell campaign as manager.
