Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand couldn’t help but make a cheeky comment after Manchester City were found guilty of grave financial breaches by an independent Premier League commission.
The landmark ruling, which found City guilty on 114 counts regarding financial fair play rules, has sent shockwaves through English football and sparked immediate reactions from former players across social media.
Man City risk getting titles stripped off after guilty verdict
Following the historic verdict, City face potentially catastrophic punishments ranging from massive points deductions and heavy financial penalties to outright expulsion from the top flight.
Crucially, the independent panel also holds the authority to retroactively strip Manchester City of their domestic honours achieved during the seasons covered by the investigation.
Should the Premier League opt to nullify or reassign those titles to the respective runners-up, it could radically reshape the modern history of English football.
Rio Ferdinand reacts to Man City guilty verdict
Reacting directly to the breaking news reported by David Ornstein on X (formerly Twitter), Ferdinand took a humorous jab at United’s cross-town rivals.
Reposting Ornstein’s update regarding the guilty charges, Ferdinand cheekily wrote: “Another premier league medal to be added to the cabinet 😂.”
The former England defender’s post instantly went viral, garnering thousands of likes and retweets as fans debated whether retro-active titles could actually be awarded.
Another premier league medal to be added to the cabinet ? https://t.co/lroufnRElY
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) September 25, 2026
Man United finished second behind Man City twice
Ferdinand’s tongue-in-cheek comment points directly to the seasons where Manchester United finished as runners-up behind their noisy neighbors:
| Season | Premier League Champions | Premier League Runners-Up | Manager (Man Utd) |
| 2017/18 | Manchester City (100 pts) | Manchester United (81 pts) | José Mourinho |
| 2020/21 | Manchester City (86 pts) | Manchester United (74 pts) | Ole Gunnar Solskjær |
In 2017/18, Jose Mourinho led United to an 81-point finish behind City’s centurions, while Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side finished second in 2020/21.
If the Premier League decides to strip City of those titles and hand them to the runner-up, Old Trafford could theoretically see two more Premier League trophies added to their historic cabinet.
