Rio Ferdinand: I will disregard Man City success if there is an asterisk attached

Rio Ferdinand says he will disregard Manchester City's achievements if they are found guilty of financial breaches, as the club's appeal process continues.

Manchester City have been found guilty of all serious financial breaches by an independent panel, including inflating sponsorships by close to £900 million from 2009 to 2018. The club has submitted an appeal and denies all wrongdoing, insisting they possess irrefutable evidence including bank statements and receipts from the Abu Dhabi government proving the source of sponsorship funding.

Rio Ferdinand, speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, said he would disregard any of City's achievements during this period if an asterisk is attached due to wrongdoing. "If there have been some wrongdoings on the way to achieving success, well, it doesn't amount to winning to me," Ferdinand said. He noted that players cannot be blamed as they are not part of the situation, with responsibility lying with those "further up the food chain."

The appeal and potential sanction hearing could extend the process significantly. Financial expert Stefan Borson suggested the timeline is unlikely to be quick, as the liability appeal phase cannot run simultaneously with a sanction hearing due to the preparation time required for legal teams.