Jamie Carragher says he "always felt they were guilty" after the commission's decision
Jamie CarragherSky Sports pundit and former Liverpool player, in a Sky Sports interview
In a Sky Sports interview published September 30, 2026, Jamie Carragher said he was "shocked, but also not surprised" and "always felt they were guilty" for two reasons. He said it would be impossible for City to have the commercial revenue of Liverpool, Manchester United or Real Madrid, and that City's claim to have "irrefutable evidence" did not fit a case that "has dragged on for years."
Responding to
The Premier League said on September 29, 2026 that an independent commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons Manchester City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which the sponsors were required to pay only a portion of the relevant fees and Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which owned the club, funded the remainder, and that "by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules."
“But I'm shocked, but also not surprised with what's going on right now. And the reason I'm not surprised that Manchester City have had a guilty, because I always felt they were guilty, just for two simple reasons, really. Just the fact that it would be impossible for Manchester City to ever have the commercial revenue of Liverpool, Manchester United or Real Madrid. They said that for years, they had that type of income coming in. It's impossible for that to ever happen, no matter how successful Manchester City are. And number two, the fact that they said, as they have said, I think yesterday, and they've continually said over this period of the last few years, that they've done nothing wrong, you know, they've got irrefutable evidence. I mean, any, you know, man and his dog in this country or football fan knows if you were charged by the police and you had irrefutable evidence, it would be over within a day or a week. This has dragged on for years, so this idea that there's nothing gone on and it's dragged on this long just tells you that there was always something there.”
Original video
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did Manchester City use 'sham' sponsorships to circumvent Premier League financial rules, as an independent commission found and the club denies?
On September 29, 2026, the Premier League published the redacted core decision of an independent commission that heard its charges against Manchester City. The commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons City arranged sponsorship contracts that it described as "shams" with a number of Abu Dhabi sponsors, as part of what it called a disguised funding scheme in which the club's owner, Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), paid most of the recorded fees. It found that the club "clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules." It found all of the financial-rule charges proven and most of the co-operation charges proven. City says it is innocent, that "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists" in support of its positions, and that the opinion is unsafe. It says it will appeal, and the deadline is October 2. The sanction has not been decided. As of October 1, 2026, this is a first-instance decision that an Appeal Board has not reviewed on the merits. The disputed question is whether City used sponsorship contracts that the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Sky Sports' studio interview with Jamie Carragher, published the morning after the Premier League's announcement. The passage quoted follows the spoken words in the video.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Sky Sports' article on the interview, which says Carragher believes the club's titles should be stripped and its owners removed.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Sky Sports presenter asked Carragher whether it was the most significant moment in Premier League history. The interview was published the morning after the Premier League announced the commission's findings.
After the quotation
Later in the interview Carragher said he did not know how the owners could continue in English football, according to Sky's video, and Sky Sports reported that he believes the club's titles should be stripped and its owners removed. As of October 1, 2026, no sanction had been set.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Carragher says he always felt City were guilty and gives reasons drawn from the club's revenue and the length of the case. That endorses the finding, so we used Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he reasons from the club's conduct rather than from the decision's text, but he states his conclusion without conditions.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseGary Neville says "the biggest consequence would be the removal of the owners" after the commission's decision
“The biggest consequence would be the removal of the owners. That is the only consequence, if I was Manchester City, that I would be worried about. And as a fan of Manchester City, if you wanted to keep the investment that you've currently got, that would be the one that I would be most concerned. However, if you're in football and you're thinking about a consequence, what can be more serious than industrial-level financial doping that we've seen and they've been found guilty of?”Read statement
Etihad Airways says it "categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication" that it was involved in improper arrangements
Etihad Airways
“Etihad Airways has reviewed the Premier League commission's published opinion relating to the disciplinary proceedings involving Manchester City, together with the Premier League's public communication of its findings. Etihad categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements. The Premier League's public communication of the commission's findings, following a period of selective leaks and reporting, has further created damaging implications for Etihad despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings. At no time did the Premier League reach out to or engage with Etihad in the process associated with the commission's opinion. Etihad was therefore never given the opportunity by the Premier League to be represented, to provide relevant information, or to ensure the accuracy and fairness of information relied upon in reaching conclusions that may now be interpreted as reflecting adversely on the airline. Etihad is deeply concerned by the way this matter has been communicated publicly. The lack of clarity and transparency, together with the selective disclosure of information, has created damaging implications for Etihad despite the airline not being named in the published decision. The Premier League must take responsibility for the consequences of the way in which these findings have been presented. Etihad is immensely proud of its longstanding relationship with Manchester City. The Etihad name has been proudly carried by the club and its stadium for many years, as part of a partnership that has connected us with millions of supporters around the world. Our commitment to Manchester City, its supporters and our shared partnership remains strong. We stand with the club, its supporters and our wider Etihad community as Manchester City challenges the commission's conclusions through the processes available to it. Etihad will seek the relevant legal counsel on the options and recourse available to protect its interests.”Read statement
IFR chair David Kogan says the decision "raises serious issues" and the regulator will "await further developments"
“The independent commission’s decision raises serious issues. The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals. This includes taking account of findings made by the Leagues. However, as the proceedings remain ongoing between Manchester City and the Premier League we will await further developments. We hope it can be resolved quickly for the sake of fans. For now, we have no further comment.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Jamie Carragher says he "always felt they were guilty" after the commission's decision
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/4013-in-a-sky-sports-interview-published-september-30
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Jamie Carragher says he "always felt they were guilty" after the commission's decision". First published: 2026-10-01. Last updated: 2026-10-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/4013-in-a-sky-sports-interview-published-september-30