‘I feel let down’ – Former Premier League manager shares his thoughts after Man City charges decision
Tony Pulis doesn’t expect to get a winners’ medal anytime soon, but the former Stoke City manager still feels “cheated” about losing the FA Cup final to Manchester City. Pulis, who led Stoke to the 2011 final, spoke out after Manchester City was found guilty of breaking financial rules.
In a BBC column, Pulis was honest about how his team played against Roberto Mancini’s side. He reminded everyone that Yaya Toure scored the winning goal in the 74th minute, giving City their first big trophy in 35 years under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership.
“We lost to a team that broke the Premier League’s financial rules,” Pulis said. “Because of that, they didn’t just beat Stoke in the final—they also won many titles and dominated English football for over ten years. With the rules broken, what punishment will they face?
“I’m sure Stoke fans want City to give back the trophy. Other clubs affected might also look into legal action.”
Pulis thinks City will likely get a big fine or a points deduction, not lose their titles. “I don’t expect Manchester City to call us and offer back the 2011 FA Cup or the winners’ medals,” he added. “It feels more likely they’ll face a fine and points deduction.
“But I still feel cheated. We’ll never get that day back to celebrate in Stoke-on-Trent with the cup and medals we honestly earned. Instead, City got to do that after breaking the rules.”
Besides the 2011 FA Cup, City could lose three Premier League titles. In 2011-12, Manchester United finished level on points with City but lost the title on goal difference after Sergio Aguero’s famous goal. Liverpool missed out in 2013-14 by just two points, and United were second in 2017-18, 19 points behind City.