Ex-Man City Nedum Onuoha star breaks down guilty verdict | Football Weekly

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Ex-Man City's Nedum Onuoha on the City verdict fallout: blame the owners, not players, fans or the charity

Football Weekly discusses the fallout from the Manchester City verdict. Nedum Onuoha speaks as a former City player and charity trustee about the impact on players, fans and the charity, while other guests argue that the owners are to blame, not players or fans.

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha spoke out on Wednesday's show about the emotions he's been processing since it wass revealed his ex-club was found guilty and plunged into turmoil. Joining him are The Guardian's own Max Rushden, Jonathan Liew and Barry Glendenning. Watch the full podcast episode ► https://youtu.be/T3Ac4O8KhXI Subscribe to Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball?subconfirmation=1 We want your feedback! If you had any thoughts on our coverage of the World Cup, please let us know here ► www.theguardian.com/YTWorldCupSurvey The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Guardian Football Weekly: https://www.tiktok.com/@guardianfootballweekly https://www.instagram.com/guardianfootballweekly/ Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/sport.theguardian.com Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardiansport/ The Guardian on YouTube: The Guardian ► https://www.youtube.com/@theguardian Football Weekly podcast ► https://www.youtube.com/@footballweeklypodcast Guardian News ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiannews Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianaustralia Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport

Transcript

Uh interesting as well in terms of stateowned clubs supporting Man City. Lewis Enrique says he hopes the club can Man City can avoid sanctions after Nel Khifi said similar things. Hundal says, "Namm's thoughts on the City charges, please. The first time we've had you on um since the City were found guilty. You were there for 16 years. You came to the youth team. I mean, you saw the club change a lot. uh as we've established just after they started cheating but before they started winning anything they got rid of you Nam um >> and I don't know if you still you've done work for the club I don't know if you still >> yeah loads of work still still doing work for the club as well and I'm a trustee for the charity which is now being affected as well which um which I find quite disheartening to be honest but this to start off with a with a bit of humor so I was at city from the mid '90s obviously we uh as a football club we we've got that historic day in 99 winning division 2 playoff final uh which is a big deal you know you look at the split in Manchester City division 2 playoff champions United trouble winners but we don't need to worry about that obviously city's achievement was far bigger um and then time passed we're with um Kevin Keegan Stuart Pierce Fenuran Erikson Maru things are looking better playing in UA cup all this and then the and then a takeover happens and you start to see the club sort of like changing But the biggest change they made to find success was to actually let me go on loan to Sunland because they won the FA Cup and then they got rid of me and they won the Premier League. So, um you know, from from when I'm hearing people saying, "Oh, people that played back then, send your medals back." I was like, "Flip an X. Send me mine first and then I'll send it back." [laughter] But it's um I'll be honest, it's been a really it's been a really like uh I wouldn't necessarily say a tough time because I because I'm freelance I do have the ability to bury my head and my head have been buried for quite a while because for some of the stuff where they want you to come on, they want you to come on and be the spokesperson for something which you know nothing about. And I do find that to be a really tough situation to be in because all I know is the same thing that all the other players know and everyone that's playing now knows which is the stuff you see on a day-to-day basis happening on the pitch which you're working at to try and be successful for you know we spoken about say United spoken about us and spoken about this like those players their special subject is playing and that is essentially mine but now I'm in a position to where I'm working in the media but I'm also attached to a time which I'm more attached to than say like an Elliot Anderson is but Elliot Elliot Anderson would be asked to speak about something he knows knows nothing about and I know nothing as well. So it has been tough and I think it's sort of tested identity as such just because like I'm a supporter of the football club and after this I'll continue to be a supporter of the football club but people now look down your nose at you because that's the case but in similar situations for other fans like that's just that's essentially who you are and as a consequence I'm just seeing how things are going from say the charges side because right now the Premier League feels like it's got all the momentum in the world like for two weeks when I every notification on my phone is about city this, city that, but from like huge negatives. You start to get like anxiety and people texting me and I'm missing messages cuz I just don't want to look at my phone. But City are putting forward their side of the case. They're adamant that, you know, they'll be found not guilty in the end and from my side because I can't say like what I know about something from that time, but people want to point at me and say, "Well, obviously you did." I say, "Well, what what do you want me to say?" I hope there's an outcome which suits people, but I don't think that's ever going to be the case now because the core of public opinion and the case itself, I think there's going to be a huge split potentially further down the road if City's confidence is um is for is for a good reason for that. >> Roy Keane, obviously it's different. He's a Manchester United legend, was saying, you know, if he discovered that his team, you know, in 99 or whenever you mentioned that had been cheating that he'd be furious about it. I just wonder do you think any of those players like will care now will be there going will be annoyed with the owners. >> No, no, no, no, not not at all. And the reason I I say that is at this moment in time nobody knows what the sanctions could be or will be. I think if all of a sudden further down the road a player is told that they're no longer champion and such and such has had to change and whatever, then I think that's like a real career life-changing moment. Because for example, somebody like Micah who works alongside Roy Keane if all of a sudden Micah isn't being introduced as a former Premier League champion, then how does that make Micah feel? How does it affect his sort of like general standing within say the media environment? Because he rightly feels a sense of pride by having done that. You know, I saw Micah when he came to City in the academy from being like Oldm. I saw his ascension to be the youngest England's youngest ever I think defender for him then you know going on lifting a Premier League title for a club which when he first signed was never even going to be part of that conversation. So I think when at some point in our lifetimes you know there is a conclusion that is is there I think that's when you start to see some stronger opinions from people who are going to be involved but that moment doesn't feel like it's close now. And I think for people to try and get someone to jump ahead to this theoretical, I personally think that misses the point because the only people that can do that are the ones say like a Roy Keen who can take a very very very principled stance about something because they've not lived it themselves if that makes. >> Yeah. And I understand I understand that that there's it's much easier to make moral judgments on things that don't affect you. And I think it's interesting that Man City fans have a similar reaction to when the Saudi takeover happened at Newcastle, which is, you know, pious people like me saying, "You should probably stop supporting this team." And it's like don't tell me how to feel, right? And then >> but it doesn't it doesn't mean that you know it doesn't mean that City didn't cheat for 10 years. I don't know. Anyway, Barry, what was your question? >> The first thing to say is Kate Abdo did a right number on Mika Richards on the CBS banter show last night when she was introducing Terry on World Cup winner, multiple Champions League blah blah blah. And then Jamie Carrager uh Champions League winner. And then she announced sort of what Mika had won and how it no longer counts. [laughter] He just looked broken. He's not taking this very well at all. And understandably so. I saw [snorts] Joe Hart uh talking to Kelly Kates and he was saying, you know, I use, you know, I if I go on foreign television, I'm introduced as a two times Premier League winner. That they probably won't employ me anymore if it turns out I'm not a two times Premier League winner. The celebration police are out in force over City's players and and Enzo Moresco celebrating after they beat Liverpool on Sunday. And I find that strange like what what are they supposed to do? >> They're they're up against everyone, you know, in Verticas hates them. They're not actually responsible for uh what's happened at City even though their presence at the club is pretty much directly linked to the cheating that went on. But are are they just supposed to score a goal and then you know do massive nonseleelebration celebrations and then retreat uh meekly uh to the dressing room at the final whistle? Of course they're going to be defiant and celebrate. I I can't understand why anyone thinks they wouldn't be. >> No, but I mean I guess but at the same time Johnny you know we talked about this on Monday like you know they play PSG tonight and it is sort of weird when you're watching I mean Champions League is slightly different I guess because they could win that and it won't be stripped from them but like it is weird watching them now. >> Yeah. I mean I there are there are a lot of victims out of this in in different degrees and one of one of the victims is the veracity and sentiment uh and currency of the football that we're watching right now. What what city did between you know between 2000 you know 2009 onwards has a has a direct effect on the football that we're going to watch tonight which which doesn't doesn't seem right and and NM is right. I I I don't think it is right to to to like to punish players. I I you know I don't judge NATO for not breaking into the city accounts department in 2009 and and and you know finding and trying to find the the secret documents. I don't I don't blame Phil Fodden for not doing due diligence on the club he joined as a 9-year-old. Uh I don't really I don't even really judge city fans for uh for just wanting their team to win and being pleased about it. Uh I think it's really important to to be really precise about who's done what here and who is culpable. um what what this is, what the Premier League has found is is essentially a grand deception against the whole sport and everyone from City's rivals to the broadcasters and and sponsors who who invested in in in the product to the the players and the fans of Manchester City themselves. They are all the victims of this deception. And I think we we should probably remember that this this is this is a this is a a crime perpetrated by city's owners and and in a way the whole game has is suffering as a result of it. >> De Bruyne has said anything about this yet. I I really want want to hear his take whatever it may be. He may well come out in stride and defense of the club, but I'm surprised we haven't heard from him yet. Well, I can I can raise that one to somebody who will never say anything because at the game at the weekend was obviously Liverpool versus City and you know Liverpool have been wrong so on and so forth was the discussion. How does a James Milner fit into that? Somebody who played for Man City and won the titles in that time but then was on the other side of it losing titles to Man City. >> Yeah. >> Exactly. Like you know he he won't speak and flipping rightly so by the way. Talk about a firestorm, but if there's somebody that's actually trapped in the middle of it, yeah, it would be James. And he picked a good time to enter retirement anyway, didn't he? Cuz now thankfully you can just be on the golf course and answering those questions. >> From your work at the club, you said the charity been affected. Like is there like I don't know how often you're in there or how often you're dealing with, you know, like if you're in millions of WhatsApp groups within the club and that stuff. Has that changed? Has there been any I don't know what you can tell us or not? >> Yeah. So, so I think um Jonathan made a good point about like who some of the victims are and so on. And for example, on the Friday when the story broke, I don't know if you've heard me say this before, but the women's team were going traveling down to play against Charlton and outside Houston Station there's a Man City bus with the logos on all that stuff and they're getting in that and they're getting griefed, they're getting heckled, they're getting jered, and it's the women's team who've got nothing to do with anything if you know what I mean. They get to the hotel, it's the same level of abuse. themselves. For some people, anything that has that badge now is fair game, which misses the point. And then when you go down to say the charity, from what I've heard, there are certain sponsors and so on who are sort of trying to pull back until there's an outcome that is reached with the um with the Premier League and so on, which is very very disappointing because the charity is independent of the football club, but the charity itself, it needs the funding. It's not it's not funded by the club at all. In that context like this is you know because the club is this it doesn't mean that the charity is that and all the donations and fund and stuff are huge. So for people to be pulling back at this stage sort of can basically saying the two things are the same like it's going to affect a lot of people and the longer this goes on for like it's the more and more people that will be affected some of the projects and stuff that we are working on some of the help they're trying to do in and around say Manchester like the funding stops and the funding stopping itself is a is a heartbreaking thing because all those people that have been using it to this point and those that will need it in the future you know all of a sudden they'll be underserved yet