After Manchester City's conviction: Ferdinand and former Liverpool star demand Premier League titles
Controversy grows in England
Manchester City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 financial charges brought against them, and the verdict has thrown the fate of their previous Premier League titles wide open. Former stars have already lined up with tongue-in-cheek demands that those titles be handed to their clubs.
Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United defender, and Jose Enrique, the former Liverpool full-back, were among the loudest voices. Both called for Premier League medals should City be stripped of some of their crowns.
Ferdinand demands the 2012 title
Ferdinand, 47, took to X to reach back to the 2011-2012 season, when United finished runners-up to City.
The former United defender wrote: "Another Premier League medal to add to the cabinet".
United could stand to gain twice over. Strip City of their titles and the 2017-2018 crown, another Sky Blue triumph, would also come back into play.
David de Gea, the former United goalkeeper, joined the joke. He wrote: "So... let's talk. How many Premier League titles have I won now?".
Some fans wasted no time. In jest, they added the 2011-2012 and 2017-2018 titles to De Gea's Wikipedia page.
Enrique recalls Liverpool's season
Jose Enrique got in on it too, demanding the title Liverpool lost to City during the 2013-2014 season.
The Spanish full-back spent five years in England. He helped Liverpool finish runners-up behind City before their chances faded in the final rounds.
Alongside a picture of himself polishing and kissing the Premier League trophy, Enrique wrote: "It has already arrived!!! Thank you, Premier League, and send me the medal soon too".
The sanctions have not yet been issued
Guilty on most charges, City still await their punishment. The Premier League has yet to announce any official sanctions against the club.
The options are wide. Speculation ranges from financial fines to a significant points deduction, and even the possibility of relegation, depending on what the relevant authorities decide.
City had already issued a statement on the case, and the club is now weighing up an appeal against the verdict.
On the pitch, they sit top of the Premier League table in the 2026-2027 season with five wins from five. Liverpool are down in sixth on two wins, while United languish in twelfth with just one.
