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Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has rejected the idea of his former club receiving Premier League titles retrospectively if Manchester City are stripped of them over financial-rule breaches.
Rooney, who was part of the United team that finished runners-up to City in the 2011-12 Premier League season, said he would not feel comfortable receiving a title years after the campaign had ended.
City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, covering alleged financial-rule breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
The club was also accused of failing to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.
Sanctions have yet to be announced, while City are expected to appeal the findings. One possible consequence being discussed is the stripping of Premier League titles won during the period covered by the charges.
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said United did not do enough to claim the title during the 2011-12 campaign.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I’m being honest, because I don’t think we deserve it. We didn’t do enough that season to win the league,” Rooney said.
The former England international also said the situation should be considered from the perspective of City players who won the titles on the pitch and may not have known about activities at boardroom level.
“If those players have got no understanding of what’s going on above them, then if that happened to me – if all of a sudden Manchester United have been doing the same and I’m getting my Premier League medals taken away from me – I’d be absolutely devastated,” he said.
Rooney was responding to suggestions by former United teammates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea that the club should be awarded retrospective titles if City are punished.
The former striker said he was satisfied with the five Premier League medals he had already won and did not want another awarded to him years later.
“When I’ve heard of ex-teammates and people saying, ‘we’ve won another medal’, I’m happy with the five I’ve won,” Rooney said.
“I wouldn’t want this one just sat there… 15 years later or whatever it was you get a medal because City cheated. I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”
While rejecting a retrospective title, Rooney believes City could face a severe punishment if sanctions are imposed.
“I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated,” he said.
He called for City to be placed in the lowest league possible and subjected to restrictions on their spending for several seasons.
Rooney suggested that the punishment could involve relegation to League Two and points deductions over several campaigns, although the final sanctions will depend on the outcome of the Premier League process and any appeals.
The former United and England forward’s comments add another dimension to the long-running 115-charge saga, with the football world now awaiting the sanctions and subsequent appeal process.
