'Period of deception' - Pochettino on Man City verdict - bbc.com

Roy Keane won seven Premier League titles with Manchester United

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has said he would throw his "medals in the bin" if he were a Manchester City player after the club was found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed the Etihad club had been found guilty of flouting its rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018 by creating "sham" contracts with commercial partners to secretly funnel more than £830m into their football operations.

City, who continue to deny any wrongdoing, won eight trophies, including three Premier League titles, during that period.

Keane said the achievements of City's players had become redundant because of the "cheating" that took place during that time.

"If I was a player, I'd be 100% sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it's cheating," Keane told ITV Sport ahead of England's match against the Czech Republic.

"They won it on the pitch because cheating was going on."

And on the club he added: "They knew it would hurt a lot of people, but they've still done it."

Keane's former United team-mate, Wayne Rooney, however, says his former club do not deserve to be awarded Premier League titles if their city rivals are stripped of them as punishment.

Sanctions are yet to be announced and City plan to appeal against the decision.

One possible punishment could be the club being stripped of top-flight titles. They have won the Premier League eight times since Sheikh Mansour's takeover in 2009, three of which were in the period when they were accused of breaking financial rules.

Rooney was part of the United side that finished runners-up to City in 2011-2012 but does not want to be awarded the title retrospectively.

Speaking on the Stick to United podcast,, external he said: "I wouldn't feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I'm being honest, because I don't think we deserve it. We didn't do enough that season to win the league.

"I'm thinking as their players, they're there doing everything they can to win the Premier League title and in their minds they've done it.

"And, if those players have got no understanding of what's going on above them, then if that happened to me - if all of a sudden Manchester United have been doing the same and I'm getting my Premier League medals taken away from me - I'd be absolutely devastated.

"They might take them away but I wouldn't want it because I don't feel as a team we deserved it that year because we obviously didn't finish first."

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Rooney's former United team-mates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea both posted on social media after news of the guilty verdict emerged on Friday, suggesting they should be awarded retrospective title wins.

And former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis said he felt "cheated" after his side were beaten by the Blues in the 2011 FA Cup final.

"When I've heard of ex-team-mates and people saying, 'we've won another medal', I'm happy with the five I've won," said Rooney.

"I wouldn't want this one just sat there... 15 years later or whatever it was you get a medal because City cheated. I wouldn't feel comfortable.

"The question is, would I want to receive that medal for finishing second? No.

"Some players might. I just wouldn't feel comfortable for accepting a Premier League medal for finishing second."

While Rooney is against titles being taken away from City, he does believe they should be relegated.

"I do think we're going to see City getting relegated," said the 40-year-old. "However that happens I don't know but I think we're going to see them get relegated."

Rooney added: "I'd put them in the lowest league they can go in and then put restrictions on them in terms of how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons.

"If you're just putting them in the Championship, and I get that's a massive punishment, they're going to come back up. Where, I feel if they have got restrictions... League Two, whatever... that could be very difficult for them.

"For instance, if they got a 20-point deduction for the next three years then players won't want to stay there. If it's Championship for a season, you could talk players round.

"I'd go as big as I can really."