Roy Keane has told Manchester City players they should discard their medals in light of the club’s guilty verdict on financial charges. The former Manchester United captain said the achievements won during the period under investigation are now tainted by the breaches.
“If I was a player, I’d be 100% sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it’s cheating,” Keane told ITV during England’s Nations League match against Czechia on Tuesday. “They won it on the pitch because cheating was going on.”
Micah Richards, a former City defender, described the verdict as devastating. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards said he felt angered by reports of the “sham contracts” the Premier League found the club had used to inflate revenues and reduce costs.
“I’ve been at that club since I was 14 years old, I would die for that club,” Richards said. “But then to hear these reports, and not only me as an ex-player, but the fans, what they have to go through, absolutely devastating.”
Richards added that the uncertainty surrounding the guilty verdict has affected long-time supporters, describing a conversation with a fan he lived with as a young player. “That’s someone who’s supported the club for 60-odd years, and the uncertainty around it is just heartbreaking.”
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