Manchester City could be set to suffer severe consequences if an independent commission finds the club guilty of financial breaches.
With the removal of league titles a possible sanction that could be levelled against the Etihad-based outfit, a number of ex-Liverpool stars, including Lucas Leiva, have already taken to Twitter to question whether they’d be handed a league winners medal.
Am I a Premier League champion ?
— Lucas Leiva (@LucasLeiva87) February 6, 2023
The former Reds midfielder was present in the squad that came close to securing the Premier League crown under Brendan Rodgers in the 2013/14 campaign and would no doubt be keen to add the prestigious award to his medal haul.
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From a Liverpool perspective, fans have every right to feel aggrieved about what could have been had the Sky Blues been competing with us on a completely level playing field.
Indeed, it’s far from outrageous to suggest that we might be treating the Jurgen Klopp era with an even higher degree of veneration with two extra titles with us having fallen short to Manchester City by a point on both occasions.
The question from our end is whether stripping our rivals of their titles is the correct end goal as far as protecting the integrity of the sport is concerned.
That’s not to suggest such a punishment should be taken off the table – financial doping rightly calls into question the validity of City’s achievements in recent years – however, it’s absolutely critical that the Premier League and English football in general uses this opportunity to make a point to other clubs who may be considering following in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola’s outfit.
Would taking back their silverware have a wider impact radius beyond the confines of the blue half of Manchester?
There’s no reason, theoretically, why City couldn’t have their titles stripped and an additional punishment added on top but we can’t afford to settle on the first sanction that comes to mind when the integrity of English football is on the line.
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Could be a heartbreak punishment considering the rivalry heat between Manchester United and Manchester city and Liverpool.
Why wouldn’t the other teams and fans of the sport want unfairly won titles to be stripped from them?
You speak of the integrity of the sport…