'I feel cheated' - Former Premier League manager speaks out after Man City charges verdict
Tony Pulis doesn't expect to receive a winners' medal anytime soon but the former Stoke City manager says he still feels "cheated" over the club's FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
The former Premier League manager, who reached the 2011 FA Cup final with Stoke, has spoken out after Manchester City were found guilty of breaking financial rules they were accused of breaching.
In a column for the BBC, Pulis pulled no punches as he brought up his side's "honest" performance against Roberto Mancini's side.
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Tony Pulis says he feels "cheated" over FA Cup final defeat
As mentioned by Pulis, Yaya Toure scored a 74th-minute winner for the Citizens, which secured City's first major trophy for 35 years and a first under Sheikh Mansour's ownership.
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"We lost, but to a team that have been found guilty of breaking the financial rules set out by the Premier League," said Pulis in a column for the BBC.
"In doing so, they did not just beat Stoke in an FA Cup final, they collected a stack of titles and went on to completely dominate English football for more than a decade. So, with those rules having been broken, what will the punishment be?
"Well, I know all Stoke supporters will be demanding that City pass the trophy over and every club that has been affected by their actions will be considering their legal options."
Pulis expects City to be handed a points deduction or a "massive" fine rather than being stripped of the titles they won between 2009 and 2018.
"I don't expect Manchester City to phone me or the club up and offer back the 2011 FA Cup and the winners' medals their players received," he added.
"I don't seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either. A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely.
"But I still feel cheated. 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."
Every new Premier League champion if Man City are stripped of titles
Away from the FA Cup they lifted in 2011, City would also lose three Premier League titles if they were taken away.
Manchester United finished level on points with City during the 2011-12 campaign but lost the title on goal difference after that moment from Sergio Aguero against Queens Park Rangers.
Liverpool finished runners-up in 2013-14 after missing out on the trophy by just two points and, as mentioned by Jose Mourinho, United finished second in the 2017-18 season, 19 points behind City.
Topics: Premier League, Man City, FA Cup
Jack Kenmare