Former Man City player Richards ‘devastated’ by guilty verdict

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has said he was “absolutely devastated” after reading the Premier League’s guilty verdict against the club over its financial charges.

An independent commission found that Manchester City arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners as part of a scheme involving more than £830m in secret funding of its football operations.

On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed that City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of its financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as all but one of the charges relating to the club’s failure to co-operate with the investigation.

City continue to deny any wrongdoing and have until October 2 to appeal the verdict.

Richards was part of the City squad that won the Premier League title in 2011-12, when Sergio Aguero scored the dramatic stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers to secure the club’s first top-flight title in 44 years.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards said the wording of the Premier League verdict such as how Mancity engaged in ‘sham contracts’ had left him deeply upset and devastated.

“The reports were troubling,” he said. “I saw the words which were used by the Premier League in ‘sham contracts’ and I felt absolutely devastated.

“I was at that club since I was 14 years old, I would die for that club. I achieved my dream at Manchester City, but then to hear these reports, and not only me as an ex-player, but the fans, what they have to go through, absolutely devastating.”

Richards joined Manchester City’s academy as a teenager and went on to make more than 200 appearances for the club before leaving in 2015.

He said the uncertainty had also affected a local family he lived with during his time in the academy.

“My digs man, he rang me and he was literally in tears and asking me about information, which I don’t know. I haven’t got the answers to tell him,” Richards said.

“That’s someone who’s supported the club for 60-odd years and the uncertainty around it is just heartbreaking.

“To have a headline of this nature for a club that I love so much, it’s been difficult. If you listen to the reports, they are damning.”

Richards said he was struggling with conflicting emotions because of the Premier League’s findings and City’s continued denial of wrongdoing.

“I feel saddened, I feel angry, I feel a little bit confused because, on the other side, you have City’s side of the story,” he said.

The former England international’s comments came after the Premier League confirmed the independent commission’s findings in a case that has hung over City for several years.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the club remained confident of proving its innocence, while chief executive Ferran Soriano said in a message to staff and players that “irrefutable evidence” had been ignored by the commission.

The club has the right to appeal the decision, while any sporting sanctions will be determined separately.