Gerrard Would Reject Retrospective Title Medal if Man City Are Stripped
Steven Gerrard says he would not seek a retrospective Premier League winners’ medal if Manchester City were stripped of titles, despite Liverpool’s near miss in the 2013/14 race.
The former Liverpool captain addressed the prospect while discussing City’s ongoing case over alleged rule breaches. City strongly reject every allegation, and an independent commission has yet to reach its verdict.
Gerrard accepts Liverpool’s 2013/14 outcome
- Liverpool took the title race deep into the 2013/14 season under Brendan Rodgers, only for City to finish as champions.
- Gerrard’s slip during Liverpool’s pivotal defeat to Chelsea became one of the defining moments of that campaign.
- More than a decade later, Gerrard said he has made peace with both that incident and the fact that he never won the Premier League.
- He added that he would not want to receive a medal taken from City players, whom he described as outstanding footballers who had earned their on-pitch experiences.
“It’s not personal for me in terms of the Man City players, because they’re all outstanding players, they’ve lived the moment and they deserved to win,” Gerrard said. “I’m not someone who’s going to sit here and say I would accept a Premier League medal or I want one that they’ve got.”
He said he had accepted being short of a league title during his playing career and had also come to terms with what happened late in the 2013/14 season.
Concern over the wider impact
Gerrard’s objection was not centred on reclaiming Liverpool’s own missed opportunity. Instead, he argued that any proven wrongdoing would have affected supporters and clubs throughout English football over a period of nine or 10 years.
He pointed to City players and supporters who have said that their memories cannot be removed, but questioned what other teams may have lost in league campaigns, cup competitions and relegation battles.
Gerrard named Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton supporters among those who could have been affected, alongside teams competing at the bottom of the table and in domestic cups. He said City’s former and current players, the club’s owners and everyone associated with the champions should consider the memories potentially denied to others.
The hearing into the charges remains ongoing. The commission’s eventual decision could carry major consequences for the Premier League’s historical record, with rival clubs awaiting clarity on whether sporting penalties will follow.
