Jamie Carragher has criticised the owners of Manchester City after the club were found guilty of financial breaches, and also made a point about Liverpool's current custodians, Fenway Sports Group. City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, and now face a wait to discover what punishment could be handed to them.
City maintain their innocence and have the right to appeal the verdict until the deadline on Friday, which is still expected to be lodged.
Carragher's verdict on City's owners
Carragher appeared on Stick to Football alongside Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jill Scott, where the topic of City being found guilty dominated the latest episode released on Thursday. The Liverpool legend criticised City's owners following the verdict, and went on to make a point about the reasons why FSG decided to complete a takeover of the Reds of their own.
"I just think the stain of this and how big it is and how long it's gone on for, the fact that they're so entrenched in their view that 'the world's against us', whatever," Carragher said on the latest episode of Stick to Football.
"I think when the owners are there in five years' time, even if City get back on their feet and are successful and doing well - they'll always be tainting the club. It's not Manchester City the club, it's the owners for me. You've got the supporters who'll always be - the club's been there 100 years - different players have been in and out, supporters have always loved their club and that's why they're sticking by them now, because we'd probably all be the same with our own club."
"But the ownership will change at different stages of a football club; it's the owners that have done this to Manchester City, and this will never go away all the time they're here."
FSG and the sportswashing point
"And every owner - [Gary] mentioned Jack Walker - that was an old-fashioned owner - local guy who earns a load of money, buys his football club and wants them to do well. We're in a different world now. People from all over the world who have got no affiliation with our clubs. So why are they here?"
"I know FSG came to Liverpool to make money. They want Liverpool to do well, but they've come to make money, I've got no problem with that, I understand that. But when you think about why Abu Dhabi came to Manchester City - they've got all the power in the world, they've got all the money in the world, so what is it?"
Wright then gave his view by simply saying: "PR." Carragher then continued: "Exactly, it's sportswashing, that's what it was all about. So this is an absolute disaster for them."
"Because for the last 10 years, [Gary] will know better than me, they've transformed a part of Manchester, Manchester City is seen as this. Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world, winning everything, football's amazing, and this is the thing that was stopping them in their tracks."
"The PR machine, that's why they're here. They're not here to make money, they've got more money than anyone could ever dream of. So that's why they're so entrenched in their view, they can't back down and admit they were wrong, so they're going to keep going and keep going because that's the only reason they're here for - PR."
City's response and Carragher's column
City are maintaining their innocence and issued a statement saying they have "irrefutable evidence" clearing the club of any wrongdoing. The club's main shirt sponsor, Etihad Airways, also issued a statement outlining that they are "deeply concerned" by the Premier League's announcement about City, and are considering taking legal action against the English top flight.
Carragher also recently gave another opinion about City's owners, with the Liverpool legend arguing why it's the end of their time at the Etihad Stadium. "Manchester City are the end of their Abu Dhabi era. The club can only heal and recover from the shame of their guilt once the custodians recognise they have failed in their duty and sell up," Carragher wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph.
"There is no way to sugar-coat this. The scale of the institutional cheating and lack of co-operation in the investigation means the position of all City executives involved is untenable. Fighting on will only prolong the agony of supporters who wrong believe their pleas of innocence."
