Wayne Rooney Rejects 2012 Title Medal If Man City Are Stripped

Wayne Rooney has rejected the idea of receiving a sixth Premier League winners’ medal if Manchester City are stripped of the 2011-12 title, insisting Manchester United let the championship slip themselves.

Rooney rejects retrospective title medal

Manchester City’s guilty verdict over financial breaches has reopened the argument over how their trophy-laden period from 2009 to 2018 should be viewed, including whether titles could be removed and reassigned.

United finished level on points with City in 2011-12 but lost out on goal difference after Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers sealed the title on the final day.

Rooney, however, said he would not feel right accepting a medal for a campaign in which Sir Alex Ferguson’s team failed to finish first.

• He said United had been six or seven points ahead with only four or five matches remaining.
• Rooney believes his side threw away that advantage rather than doing enough to deserve the title.
• He said he is content with the five Premier League medals he won and does not want another added retrospectively.

Speaking on Stick To United, Rooney said title stripping may yet happen, but argued that accepting the award would be uncomfortable because United did not end the season at the top of the table.

Former United team-mates demand medals

Rooney’s stance differs sharply from the responses of David de Gea and Rio Ferdinand following the verdict.

• De Gea questioned on X how many Premier League titles he should now be credited with.
• Ferdinand said another winners’ medal would go into his collection.
• The former United defender also joked that ex-City defender Joleon Lescott should bring him his medal.

Ferdinand said that, if City are found guilty, medals and trophies should be handed back. He added that he intends to raise the matter directly with Lescott, calling for the trophy and medals to be surrendered.

Rooney’s sympathy for City players

While he accepted that sanctions could be justified over the actions of City’s owners, Rooney also said he felt for players who may have had no knowledge of matters above them.

He said City’s footballers would have believed they won those titles through their own efforts on the pitch. Rooney said he would be devastated if he discovered after the event that off-field wrongdoing had affected honours he thought had been earned.

What happens next

The Premier League has yet to determine the retrospective punishment that will follow City’s verdict. Financial penalties and relegation remain possible, while the removal of previous league titles is also under discussion.

Until a final sanction is imposed, the question of whether runners-up should inherit trophies and medals will remain unresolved — with Rooney making clear he does not want the 2011-12 crown handed to United.