Kyle Walker says Manchester City’s titles cannot be taken away

Kyle Walker says Manchester City’s achievements should not be stripped from the club or the players who won them, despite the Premier League case involving alleged financial rule breaches.

The former Manchester City defender, who played for the club from 2017 to 2025, could potentially lose some of the honours he helped secure if the case ends with sanctions that include removing titles from the club.

Manchester City were initially charged with 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules. The club was cleared of one charge but found guilty of 114 violations. Potential penalties include the removal of titles won during the period covered by the allegations, from 2009 to 2018.

Walker joined Manchester City from Tottenham in the summer of 2017. As a result, the Premier League title, Carabao Cup and Community Shield won by the club in 2018 could be among the honours affected, depending on the outcome of the sanctions.

“It is extremely difficult because we worked so hard to achieve these titles, and it was not only us,” Walker told talkSPORT, in comments reported by RMC.

“I also think about the fans who travelled long distances across the country and went abroad.”

Although Walker acknowledged that the situation “does not look good”, he said the experiences shared by the players could not be erased, regardless of the eventual outcome.

“Personally, I can say that we had some great years together and celebrated many titles,” he added. “That is something nobody can take away from us, whatever happens, because we lived through those nights.”

Walker moved to Burnley in the summer of 2025, but said the memories of Manchester City’s successes would remain part of his career because he was on the pitch when many of those achievements were secured.

He won the Champions League with Manchester City in 2023, as well as a number of domestic honours.

The England defender also admitted that discussing the case with his former Manchester City team-mates was uncomfortable.

“It is a subject we probably prefer not to talk about, because we want people to remember us as those who won these titles and that we won them in the right way,” he said.

Manchester City continue to maintain that they are “innocent” of the allegations. The club has also appealed against the decision issued by an independent commission appointed by the Premier League to examine the case.