Former Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has expressed his sense of betrayal following the revelation that Manchester City were found guilty of breaching the majority of 115 Premier League financial rules. The verdict, announced on Friday, has left Pulis and countless Stoke supporters feeling that the club’s achievements during the era of City’s dominance are taint.
Pulis, who guided Stoke to the 2011 FA Cup final, described the day as the highlight of his 50-year career in football. He recalled the emotional journey of the Coates family, the club’s owners, who had financially supported the team through difficult times, only to fall short in the final against a Manchester City side with significantly greater resources.
“Taking my Stoke side to the 2011 FA Cup final was one of the highlights – if not THE highlight – of my 50 years in football as a player and manager,” Pulis wrote. “That day in May will also live long in the memory of all Stoke fans… dreaming that they would win the greatest club cup competition in world football for the first time in their long history.”
Stoke lost the match 1-0, with Yaya Toure scoring the winner. Pulis noted that Toure, who joined City from Barcelona in 2010 for approximately £24 million, was reportedly earning ten times the wage of any Stoke player. At the time, Pulis accepted the defeat, praising the quality of City’s squad and manager Roberto Mancini.
However, the recent findings have altered that perspective. “Today, I feel very differently, as I am sure people connected with the other clubs affected by City’s successes in the same period, between 2009 and 2018, do too,” Pulis stated.
He emphasized that while Stoke lost to a team full of superstars, that team has now been found guilty of breaking the financial regulations. Consequently, City not only defeated Stoke but went on to dominate English football for more than a decade.
Pulis acknowledged that while Stoke fans will demand the return of the FA Cup trophy, and other affected clubs consider legal action, he does not expect Manchester City to voluntarily return the medal or the cup. He believes a points deduction and a substantial fine are more likely outcomes, especially since City are expected to appeal the verdict.
“But I still feel cheated,” Pulis concluded. “Whatever happens next, we won’t ever get that day back and the chance to celebrate around Stoke-on-Trent with the cup and medals we so honestly fought for. After breaking the rules, Manchester City got to do that instead.”
The 2011 final was special for Stoke fans. To know the winners were cheating ruins that memory for a lot of supporters.
Will they actually win it back or just get fined again? It feels like the system protects the biggest clubs no matter what.
I always admired how Stoke fought against the odds. This verdict really does cast a shadow over those magnificent underdog runs.
So you are saying Yaya Toure should forfeit his winner’s medal? That seems like a stretch even for an angry manager.
It is quite staggering how much financial power dictated the Premier League for over a decade. Pulis has every right to feel cheated.