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Ian Wright reveals what Man City 'deserve' after finance scandal: 'They cheated'
Sep 26 2026 20:49 · By onefootball.com · 10 Reads
Arsenal legend spoke in no uncertain terms about the punishments he feels City deserve
Ian Wright has pulled no punches in insisting Manchester City must be stripped of all their titles.
City are under fire after it was reported they had been found guilty of the vast majority of the 115 charges against them, after the case looking into financial rule breaches by the Manchester club belatedly reached a conclusion.
It remains to be seen how City are punished and whether close rival clubs claim to be effective winners of the trophies City won ahead of them during the period in question.
Former Arsenal striker Wright was asked where the situation leaves English football.
Speaking to ITV ahead of England’s Nations League opener against Spain on Saturday, Wright replied: “Not very good, if we’re going to be totally honest. Going back to what Rodri said, going shoulder to shoulder with the guys, of course you can’t take that away from them. They experienced that. But they should take that away from them.
“They should be punished for it, because they may have been able to experience those times together, but when you look at the teams that tried to chase them, they were doing it right. It’s not right. What could [Jurgen] Klopp and Liverpool have experienced?
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane added: “Whatever they have won over the last few years, they deserve to be punished.
“Where that should start and finish is difficult, but they were cheating. They were found guilty of it. They have to take their medicine now. To be found guilty of 114 of the charges, big news, it was.”
On Friday, the day the news broke, the former City captain Rodri spoke at a Wembley press conference ahead of England versus Spain and was asked for his reaction to the news.
“They cannot take it off us,” the former Ballon d’Or winner maintained. “It is something that is not paid by money.
“It is paid by effort, hardship, being shoulder to shoulder every day. I can only tell you that everything was deserved, and I’m glad I could live one of the best eras in English football.”