Richards says verdict leaves Manchester City supporters facing uncertainty
The former City defender says he was devastated by an independent commission’s findings. The club denies wrongdoing and has until 2 October to appeal.
Micah Richards says he was “absolutely devastated” after reading the independent commission’s verdict on Manchester City’s financial charges, describing the reports as troubling for the club and its supporters.
The Premier League said the commission found City breached financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18, and failed to co-operate with its investigation on all but one charge. The club denies wrongdoing and has until 2 October to submit an appeal.
Richards, who joined City’s youth academy at 14 and was part of its 2011-12 title-winning squad, said a local family he lived with during that period had contacted him seeking information he could not provide. He described the uncertainty facing the long-time supporters as heartbreaking.
City won three Premier League titles during the period covered by the findings. BBC Sport reports the club spent about £1.2 billion on players between summer 2009 and January 2018, but says the effect of that spending on results cannot be established.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher argued that City’s titles should be removed and said players’ careers could carry an “asterisk”. Those were his views on the case; the supplied material does not specify any sanction or say titles have been changed.
