Rooney Rejects Retrospective Premier League Medal if Man City Lose 2012 Title

Wayne Rooney has said he would not want to receive a retrospective Premier League winners’ medal if Manchester City are stripped of the 2011-12 title, insisting Manchester United did not do enough to deserve first place that season.

Key takeaways

• Manchester City won the 2011-12 Premier League on goal difference ahead of Manchester United.
• City face more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations covering 2009 to 2018.
• Possible punishment has yet to be confirmed, although title forfeiture has been discussed as a potential sanction.
• Rio Ferdinand has indicated that he would claim a medal should United be awarded the 2011-12 championship.
• Rooney said he is content with the five league titles he won and would not add one awarded long after the campaign.

Rooney rejects retrospective honour

United had been in a strong position during the closing weeks of the 2011-12 campaign, but Rooney believes the side surrendered its own opportunity. He recalled that the team had been six or seven points ahead with only four or five matches remaining before City ultimately finished above them.

“We did not do enough that season to win the league,” Rooney said. “We threw it away.”

Ferdinand, a central figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s United team, has voiced his desire for a medal if the final standings are changed. Rooney took a different view, saying that accepting an award so long after the competition would not sit comfortably with him.

He added that he was satisfied with the five Premier League titles already earned during his United career and did not want another medal simply because City could be punished for the conduct of the club’s owners.

City players and the unresolved case

Manchester City are alleged to have breached Premier League rules on more than 100 occasions between 2009 and 2018. The period includes three of their league championship wins, beginning with the dramatic 2011-12 success.

No sanction has been announced. Among the possible consequences under discussion is the removal of honours won during the relevant period, which could alter the official destination of the 2011-12 title.

Rooney also considered the situation from the perspective of City’s players. He said the squad members who competed for and won the title would believe they had earned it on the pitch, and that losing a medal retrospectively would be devastating.

While he accepted that titles could be removed if the case leads to such a ruling, Rooney maintained that he would not seek the 2011-12 medal for himself. “Should they get it stripped for what the owners have done? Maybe,” he said. “But I would not feel comfortable accepting it.”