Guilty verdict: Paul Merson reveals how he wants Man City punished

Former Arsenal and England international Paul Merson has called for Manchester City to have all their titles stripped from the period between 2009 and 2018. Following a thorough four-year investigation, the Premier League announced that the club had violated financial regulations according to an Independent Committee. Merson joined other commentators to discuss the matter on Sky Sports.

He stated, “First of all, take all their trophies away. I think that’s the first thing. It’s not because of us, it’s our children’s children’s children in 50, 60 or 70 years’ time, if you look through and see that Manchester City dominated, it’s not going to say underneath that they were guilty of anything so I think that’s got to be taken off.”

Merson did not suggest awarding the titles to the second-placed team, as he believed that would be a "real kick in the teeth." The investigation revealed that Manchester City allegedly used fraudulent contracts with commercial partners to hide undisclosed financial support, with the undisclosed funding amounting to around £830 million during the period in question.

Manchester City have denied the allegations and have been given until October 2 to file a formal appeal against the committee's decision.