Wayne Rooney rejects retrospective Premier League title if Manchester City are stripped

Wayne Rooney says he would not want Manchester United to be awarded Premier League titles retrospectively if Manchester City are punished by the Premier League over alleged financial breaches.

Manchester City have been found guilty of most of the allegations in a case involving 115 charges covering the period between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The club is also accused of failing to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.

No final sanctions have yet been announced. Manchester City are preparing to appeal, while possible punishments could include the removal of some of the titles they 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 would not accept a league winners’ medal if the title were later taken away from their rivals.

“Honestly, I would not feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal because I do not believe 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 championship in dramatic fashion in 2011-12, finishing ahead of Manchester United on goal difference after scoring twice in stoppage time to beat Queens Park Rangers on the final day.

Rooney said his thoughts were also with the Manchester City players who believed they had won the title fairly.

“I think about the players. They gave everything to try to win the league and believed they had achieved that,” he said.

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

The former Manchester United striker reiterated that he would not regard a retrospective change to the standings as a true reflection of that season.

“Titles may be taken away from Manchester City, but I do not want them because I do not feel that, as a team, we deserved the title that year,” Rooney added.

“At the end of the day, we did not finish the season in first place.”