Wayne Rooney rejects retrospective Premier League title after Manchester City charges

Wayne Rooney says he would not accept a retrospective Premier League winners’ medal if Manchester City are stripped of titles following the conclusion of the club’s financial case.

Manchester City have been found guilty of most of the 115 alleged breaches brought against them. The charges cover the period between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, while the club have also been accused of failing to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.

No final punishment has yet been announced. Manchester City are preparing to appeal, with one possible outcome being the removal of some of the titles won during the period under investigation, according to BBC Sport.

Rooney was part of the Manchester United side that finished runners-up to Manchester City in the 2011-12 Premier League season. However, he has made clear that he does not want the title awarded to his former club retrospectively if Manchester City are ultimately stripped of it.

“Honestly, I would not feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal because I do not think we deserved it,” Rooney said on the Stick to United podcast.

“We did not do enough that season to win the title.”

Manchester City won the 2011-12 title on the final day of the season, finishing above Manchester United on goal difference. Rooney said his thoughts were with the players involved, arguing that they had given everything to win the competition and believed they had achieved that on the pitch.

“I think about the players. They gave everything they had to win the league and they believed they had actually won it,” he said.

“If they had no knowledge of what was happening at boardroom level, and then suddenly had their medals taken away, I would be shocked and saddened if I were in their position.”

Rooney, a Manchester United great, added that even if Manchester City’s titles were removed, he would not want one transferred to his team.

“The titles may be taken away from Manchester City, but I do not want to receive them because I do not feel that, as a team, we deserved the title that year,” he said.

“In the end, we did not finish the season in first place.”