Ian

🚨 James Milner on Manchester City potentially facing a points deduction that could send them to the Championship: 🎙️ Interviewer: “James, reports suggest Manchester City could face a huge points deduction, potentially leading to relegation, if the Premier League charges result in serious punishment. You played for City, but you also spent years at Liverpool competing against them for the biggest trophies. What would you make of it? James Milner: “Look, I have history with both clubs. Manchester City was an important part of my career, and I have respect for the people I worked with there. But playing for a club doesn’t mean you stop believing in fairness” “I was at Liverpool when we were chasing City for Premier League titles. We pushed ourselves to the limit, collected points, won games under enormous pressure, and sometimes finished a single point behind. Those seasons demanded everything from the players, the staff and the supporters” “So if the allegations are proven and the punishment is serious, people cannot expect everyone simply to shrug their shoulders and move on. What would all those points, all those battles and all those near-misses mean if the rules weren’t applied equally to every club? “Let me be clear: allegations are not a verdict. Manchester City deserve a fair process, and nobody should pretend the final punishment has already been decided. But if serious breaches are established, the consequences must reflect the seriousness of what has been proven” “And relegation? That’s not something anyone should celebrate before the facts are settled. It would be enormous for the club, the players and the supporters. But the size of a club, its trophies, its wealth or its influence cannot decide whether the rules apply” Interviewer: “Some City supporters will say rival fans simply want to see them punished because of their success. What would you say to that? Milner: “That’s the easiest way to dismiss the conversation, isn’t it? Call everyone jealous and avoid the actual question” “Liverpool and City gave us some incredible title races. The quality was unbelievable. But supporters who watched those seasons have a right to want answers if the integrity of the competition is questioned” “Imagine spending your life supporting a club, watching your team come painfully close to a title, and then being told that questions about the competition don’t matter because the other club is successful. You wouldn’t accept that” “I’m not asking for Manchester City to be relegated because I played for Liverpool. I’m saying that if the same rules apply to every club, the same principles must apply when the consequences arrive” “If City are cleared, people must respect that outcome. If serious breaches are proven, City must accept the consequences. That’s what fairness means” “And one final thing: don’t confuse respecting a club with believing it should be exempt from accountability. Those are two very different things.”