Wayne Rooney has reiterated that he would not feel comfortable accepting a Premier League winners' medal, should Manchester City be stripped of their titles following their recent charges verdict. The Manchester United legend had previously expressed this view, and he has now doubled down on it in the wake of the ongoing situation.
Manchester City were found guilty of all but one of the charges brought by the Premier League, but they have appealed the independent commission's verdict and continue to maintain their innocence. The club's first match since the verdict came to light saw them secure a 3-0 victory over Liverpool, but the possibility of a severe punishment remains.
Rooney's Verdict on Match of the Day
Speaking on Match of the Day, Rooney commented on the uncertainty surrounding City's fate, saying: "They could be fighting for the title or fighting for relegation. No-one knows where it’s going to end up." He added: "It’s a bad situation to be in but as far as the players are concerned, all they can do is go out and try and do their job on the pitch. As I said before, the powers above them and the independent panel will decide what happens in terms of the punishment. They can only go out and play, and try to beat what’s in front of them."
When asked by Match of the Day host Kelly Cates whether he would accept a retrospective winners' medal, given that United finished as runners-up to City during the period covered by the charges, Rooney declined. He explained: "It’s difficult. I look at it from the players’ point of view. I’m assuming all the players didn’t know what was going on. They went onto the football pitch and won the league, while we finished second. We didn’t finish first. Why would we want a medal for finishing second?"
Rooney's Previous Stance on a Medal
This is not the first time Rooney has addressed this issue. He previously admitted on the Stick To United podcast that he would not feel comfortable accepting a winners' medal, referencing comments made by his former teammate Rio Ferdinand. Rooney said: "I have heard Rio has come out saying about getting another Premier League medal... I wouldn’t really feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal, if I’m being honest."
He elaborated: "I don’t think we deserve it, we didn’t do enough that season to win the league. I think we were six or seven points clear with four or five games to go and we threw it away. I’ve seen everything that has come out over the past few days and listening to people and I was putting myself in a Man City player’s shoes. It might happen, they might take them [medals] away, but I wouldn’t want it [a medal] because I don’t think as a team we deserved it that year because obviously we didn’t finish first. So when I see team-mates saying I want a medal’, I’m happy with the five I’ve won. I wouldn’t want this one."
He concluded: "Should they get it stripped for what the owners have done? Yeah maybe, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting it."
Alderweireld's Perspective
Former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld also appeared on the BBC show and shared his thoughts on the matter. He said: "It’s difficult. You think about what kind of team we (Spurs) would have played against if they didn’t spend all those millions. It’s a big question mark and we’re not going to get answers (at the moment). We can only look to the future and hopefully never get in this situation again. It’s a big situation not only in the Premier League but all over the world. It’s not good for football."
Alderweireld added: "Hopefully we get an answer very quickly, not in 12 weeks, not in one or two years. The quicker the better."
