“They’ve tainted everything”: Ander Herrera pulls no punches over Man City’s “irreparable” damage

Former Manchester United star Ander Herrera has emphasised that everyone at the club was aware of Manchester City’s cheating. He also called for them to be heavily punished.

Guilty

A month ago, the Premier League confirmed that City had been found guilty of all charges of breaching its financial rules over a nine-year period.

An independent commission found that City boosted their income by a staggering amount of more than £900 million.

The Premier League revealed that City arranged “sham ­contracts” with commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs, as well as filing inaccurate accounts to hide the true state of their finances.

City were also found to have engaged in ‘sham’ image rights deals with players and the then-manager Roberto Mancini to artificially inflate their earnings.

United’s cross-town rivals lodged an appeal as they continue to maintain their innocence.

Various punishments have been mooted for City, including heavy points deductions, hefty fines, expulsion from the Premier League, and being stripped of all titles won during the period in question.

Speaking to El Camino de Mario, Herrera lifted the lid on the suspicion that lingered among him and his United teammates over the goings-on at City.

Herrera’s verdict

The Spaniard said, “Rules must be followed; what was happening wasn’t normal—we were all aware of it.”

“My friends couldn’t get tickets for Old Trafford, yet tickets for the Etihad were being given away for free. I have nothing to say against the players or the manager; they deserve credit for what they’ve accomplished.”

“They’ve tainted everything. The damage is irreparable.”

In terms of sanctions, Herrera remarked, “The penalty needs to be substantial. It must set a precedent.”

The 37-year-old asserted that numerous parties were impacted by City’s cheating in various respects, including the loss of European titles, relegation, and the forfeiture of titles.