Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has insisted that neither he nor Steven Gerrard would want a retrospective Premier League title after Manchester City's guilty verdict, but has called for a punishment that will have a lasting impact on the club.
The Premier League confirmed last month that an independent Commission had found City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the top-flight's financial rules over a nine-season period, with the club found to have boosted its income by more than £900m.
The breaches took place between 2009 and 2018 and have led to discussion over whether City, who have appealed against the verdict and maintain their innocence, should be stripped of the trophies they won during that time.
Johnson's Stance on Retrospective Title
Johnson, who was part of the Liverpool side captained by Gerrard and managed by Brendan Rodgers that missed out on the Premier League title to City in 2013-14 by two points, has no desire for that to happen.
He said: "You know, not getting the title in 2013-2014 is just one of those things that is unfortunate. At the time we did everything to win the league and clearly should have done.
"We worked so hard every day because we wanted to lift the trophy because we deserved it after giving everything, sweat, tears and blood, but that was when the passion was there, not now. Man City just needs to be punished correctly.
"It would be the same for a guy like Steven Gerrard. He wouldn't want to win it this way. We all just wanted to win it at the time. To do it retrospectively because someone cheated would just feel like they shouldn't be allowed to have it in the first place."
Call for Lasting Punishment
Johnson argued that a financial penalty would be ineffective, suggesting that points deductions or relegation would be more appropriate.
He said: "Man City just need to be punished in the right way. We can't do anything about it now. Even if they gave us the trophy now, it wouldn't be the same.
"I am not sure what the right punishment would be, but I don't think it should be financial, because what is the point then? Give them a £50m fine? That would be a drop in the ocean, so what's the point?
"I think it can only be points, relegation, something on those lines. It has to last a long time, so they are losing all their players, you know, losing the players they shouldn't even have.
"It has to be something that will take them a long time to recover from."
Impact on City's Appeal and Fans
While the club and the rest of the football world wait to discover what the sanctions will be, it has been very much business as usual for City on the field.
They sit top of the Premier League with seven wins from seven - including a controversial 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month - and have won two of their three Champions League encounters.
Johnson, speaking to PariuriX.com, continued: "I think the matches against Man City will lose their value in terms of the interest from the people. The teams and the clubs will want to beat Man City more than ever now, but for the fans Man City used to be a team you wanted to watch.
"To be fair, the players are still someone you would want to watch, but people will turn their back on the club because of what they have been doing. I don't care about watching their games anymore. Like, I don't care. It's just not the same.
"Obviously, they are still a fantastic side and it is not the players' fault, but it is not a team you want to watch anymore. I really don't care. I can imagine a lot of fans are feeling the same way."
