Steven Gerrard says Manchester City should face historical sporting sanctions

Steven Gerrard believes Manchester City should face severe historical sporting sanctions, including points deductions and title asterisks, rather than relegation, for breaching Premier League financial rules. Speaking on the Overlap Daily podcast, the former Liverpool captain outlined his stance on the independent commission’s findings, which determined City broke regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

The Case for Historical Asterisks and Transfer Bans

Manchester City should receive strict competitive penalties that directly target squad development, according to Gerrard. Speaking on the latest episode of the Overlap Daily, the 46-year-old rejected the idea of forcing individual players to return medals, stating he has personally come to terms with his own playing career. Instead, Gerrard argued for structural punishments directed at the club itself.

“I wouldn’t want individual players to give stuff back,” Gerrard said. “I don’t think that would be right. I wouldn’t accept anything. I’ve come to terms with where I am and what I achieved. But in terms of the club, they have to be stripped.”

To address the violations without disrupting the lower tiers of English football, Gerrard proposed a combination of transfer embargoes and staged points deductions. He expressed his explicit call for measures that make the club experience sustained sporting difficulties:

“I think it needs to be a transfer ban,” he said. “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, 10 years that they’ve done it for.”

Rather than advocating for an immediate drop down the divisions, Gerrard suggested that relegation to the Sky Bet Championship would unfairly penalize other clubs currently competing for promotion through the English Football League.

Historical Context of the 2013-14 Title Race

The debate surrounding Manchester City’s financial charges carries deep personal resonance for Gerrard, who was part of the Liverpool team that finished runners-up during the 2013-14 Premier League campaign. Liverpool ultimately finished runners-up, ending that season two points behind Manchester City. The independent commission’s review period, spanning from the 2009-10 season through 2017-18, covers the window when City broke regulations.

Ahead of Manchester City’s 3-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, supporters in the stands displayed banners directly referencing the ongoing financial charges. While the club maintains its innocence and has appealed the commission’s findings, Gerrard suggested that placing an asterisk on the record books would permanently clarify the historical context of those achievements for supporters and analysts alike.

“There needs to be an example set historically, in my opinion, whether that’s an asterisk throughout all the years and their achievements,” Gerrard stated. “There needs to be, minimum, an asterisk. Because then it doesn’t matter whether the titles are stripped or not. As soon as that asterisk is there, everyone knows that happened because of what we all know happened.”

Season	Champion	Runner-Up	Margin (Points)
2013-14	Manchester City	Liverpool	2

As the legal and regulatory process continues to unfold following the weekend fixture at Anfield, attention shifts toward upcoming continental commitments. Manchester City prepares to face PSG in the Champions League, while domestic scrutiny regarding the long-term resolution of the Premier League’s financial investigation remains ongoing.