Mikel Obi and Wayne Rooney agree regarding possible punishments for Man City

Former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney have both rejected the idea of stripping Premier League titles following Manchester City's guilty verdict.

Reports from The Athletic and Reuters first revealed on September 25, 2026, that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 financial charges brought against them by the Premier League. The Premier League officially confirmed the verdict on September 29.

The sentencing phase is set to follow, with the tribunal possessing broad disciplinary authority under the Premier League's rulebook. 

These regulations allow the independent panel to impose severe and unprecedented sanctions, ranging from massive points deductions and transfer embargoes to the complete stripping of titles or permanent expulsion from the English top flight.

The prospect of title stripping has prompted a wave of reaction from players who played through City's title-winning years without ever lifting the trophy themselves.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, who secured the 2012/13 Premier League title during his 2011–2023 tenure at Old Trafford, referenced the 2011/12 and 2017/18 campaigns where United finished as runners-up to City, tweeting: "So let's talk, how many Premier League titles have I won?"

Rio Ferdinand, part of the United side that missed out on the 2011/12 title to City on goal difference, struck a similarly playful tone, declaring that another medal would be "added to the cabinet" and jokingly demanding that former City defender Joleon Lescott hand over his own prize.

Not every former United player shares that appetite. Speaking on his own podcast, Stick to United, Wayne Rooney distanced himself from Ferdinand's stance on the possibility of United being retroactively awarded the 2011/12 title.

"I wouldn't really feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal, if I'm being honest," Rooney said. "It might happen, they might take them away, but I wouldn't want it, because I don't think as a team we deserved it that year, because obviously we didn't finish first. So when I see team-mates saying 'I want a medal', I'm happy with the five I've won. I wouldn't want this one."

Speaking on the latest episode of The Obi One Podcast, Mikel echoed Rooney's refusal from the opposite side of the rivalry, making clear he holds no personal grievance against the City squads he competed against during his own trophy-laden Chelsea career.

"I will be the last person to sit here and discredit what they achieved on the pitch," Mikel said.

The two-time Premier League winner (2009/10, 2014/15) was unequivocal on the question of inheriting a title he didn't win outright. "I wouldn't want to win the Premier League that way, absolutely not," he said. "We like to compete, we like to compete on the pitch, we like to compete against the best... we want to beat whoever is in front of us."

Mikel pointed specifically to the calibre of the City sides he faced as a player, naming Yaya Touré, Fernandinho and David Silva among opponents he respected rather than resented. "I looked at that squad and thought, 'This is the team to beat.' If we want to become champions, if we want to call ourselves champions, you have to beat the best team."

He drew a firm line between the club's institutional punishment and the players' sporting achievement. "Should they face the punishment? Absolutely, if they're found guilty," Mikel said. 

"But stripping them of the titles, of what they've done on the pitch? The commitment, the hard work of the players and the manager, the sleepless nights, the sacrifices they've done to achieve what they've achieved — you compete on the pitch."