Steven Gerrard has called for Manchester City to face a severe, long-term punishment following their guilty verdict over breaches of Premier League financial regulations, insisting the club must be made to “suffer” for the impact on their rivals.
The former Liverpool captain believes a transfer ban and points deductions spread across several seasons would be more appropriate than relegating City to the Championship.
Gerrard’s comments come after City were found guilty of the vast majority of the financial charges brought against them by the Premier League, although the club are appealing the verdict.
The 46-year-old was Liverpool captain when they finished runners-up to City in the 2013-14 Premier League season and believes the consequences of the breaches extend far beyond his own career.
Speaking on Overlap Daily, Gerrard made clear that he wants substantial sanctions imposed on City if the findings are upheld.
“Multi-year punishments, that would be my opinion,” he said.
“I’m not saying that’s the right opinion, but that’s just how I feel sitting here in this chair.
“I think putting them down to the Championship is not fair on the EFL. I don’t think it’s enough, because they’ll bounce back.
“You look at that team yesterday. Can you imagine that in the Championship? With all due respect, it’s not fair on the teams playing against City week in, week out. It’s not fair on the potential team that could be the third team to come up.
“I think it needs to be a transfer ban. I think it needs to be points over a period of time.
“And make them suffer like they’ve made everyone else suffer for the nine, ten years that they’ve done it for. That would be my opinion. But there needs to be an example set.”
Liverpool legend claims City have ‘stolen’ memories from rivals
Gerrard also reflected on Liverpool’s failure to win the Premier League in 2014, when Brendan Rodgers’ side finished two points behind City.
The former midfielder famously slipped during Liverpool’s defeat to Chelsea towards the end of that campaign, a moment that became closely associated with the club’s unsuccessful title challenge.
Despite his personal connection to that season, Gerrard insisted he would not want to receive a Premier League winners’ medal retrospectively.
“It’s not personal for me in terms of the Manchester City players because they’re all outstanding players,” he explained.
“They have lived a moment and they obviously deserved to… I’m not somebody who is going to sit here and say I would accept a Premiership medal or I want one that they have got.
“I think I have come to terms with that I have never won the Premier League, that I was short in that department in terms of winning it.
“What about the memories they have taken away from not just possibly me, and the team that I played in but over that period of time, nine, ten years?
“Spurs fans, United fans, Everton fans, teams at the bottom, teams in the cups?
“City, ex-players, current players, and City owners, everyone connected with City have got to think about the memories they have stolen away from everyone else.”
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