Mourinho a Premier League champion after 7 years? Ferdinand's mockery of City hands the Portuguese the title
Will Manchester City's disaster hand Mourinho the Premier League title?
Minutes after the biggest shock in Premier League history leaked out, social media became an arena of red mockery. Its hero was Rio Ferdinand. Its victim, Manchester City. And its biggest beneficiary of all: Jose Mourinho.
The English reports landed quickly, confirming Manchester City's conviction on 114 charges out of 115 relating to breaches of financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand wasted no time responding in his own way through his account on the "X" platform.
There was no legal analysis from Ferdinand. Instead, three sarcastic tweets that were enough to set England alight.
His first read: "Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet".
He meant United's cabinet. Ferdinand anchored the defence of the side that lost the historic 2011/12 title in the final second to Sergio Aguero's famous goal for City. Apply the points deduction retroactively, strip City of their titles, and that crown goes straight to United, adding a seventh Premier League title to Ferdinand's tally years after his retirement.
Then came a direct message to his former manager. His second tweet, which topped the trends, read: "And another medal for Jose Mourinho".
A clear nod to the 2017/18 season, when the Portuguese "Special One" led Manchester United to second place behind Manchester City by a 19-point margin. Mourinho himself considered it his greatest coaching achievement.
Now, with City's conviction, that second place could become an official Premier League title. That would make Mourinho a champion of England for the fourth time in his career, and the first with United.
Ferdinand rounded off the mockery with a third tweet: "And another medal for Solskjaer", referring to the 2021/22 season, when United, led by Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, also finished runners-up behind City.
All this comes with the fate of the sanctions still unclear. Reports confirmed that despite the conviction being proven, the punishment has not yet been decided. It could range from a huge financial fine to an immediate points deduction that sends the club into relegation, or a retroactive deduction that rewrites the history of the Premier League and withdraws 8 league titles from the federation's cabinets.
What City's fans dismissed as a conspiracy theory has become an existential threat. And what Mourinho considered a moral achievement may soon turn into a gold medal glittering in his cabinet.
