Former Man City defender Richards 'absolutely devastated' by verdict

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said he is “absolutely devastated” by the Premier League’s verdict finding the club involved in an almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion) scheme between 2009 and 2018. The league concluded City used a series of “sham” arrangements to either inflate revenues or reduce costs to avoid breaching Premier League and UEFA financial rules. Richards, speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, said the wording in the decision left him shocked, adding that as someone who joined City at 14, hearing the allegations was devastating for him and for fans. He also described concern after speaking with a longtime supporter who was in tears. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said he would discard any medals if he were in City’s position, calling it cheating.