Another day brings another reaction to the reports surrounding Manchester City’s long-running Premier League case, but this one reaches back 15 years.
Tony Pulis says he now feels Stoke City were “cheated” when his side lost the 2011 FA Cup final to City at Wembley. Yaya Toure scored the only goal as Roberto Mancini’s side won 1-0 to claim City’s first major trophy since 1976. Pulis says the reports that emerged on Friday have changed the way he looks back on that afternoon.
Pulis revisits Man City’s 2011 FA Cup win
Talking to BBC Sport, the former Stoke manager revealed the question he has been hearing from supporters since the latest developments emerged.
“When do we get our FA Cup?” he wrote.
Pulis doesn’t seriously expect the trophy to change hands and believes a points deduction and substantial fine are more realistic possibilities if the reported findings ultimately lead to sanctions. His feelings about the final itself are much stronger.
Pulis said he still feels “cheated” and argued that Stoke will never regain the opportunity they lost to win the FA Cup and celebrate the achievement with their supporters. The former Stoke boss also pointed towards the financial disparity between the two teams.
Toure had joined Man City from Barcelona for a reported £24m in 2010 and Pulis said the midfielder, who scored the winner at Wembley, cost more than Stoke’s entire starting XI. He also contrasted Toure’s reported salary with the wages being paid at Stoke.
Friday’s reports change Pulis’ view of Wembley defeat
Pulis explained that his reaction in 2011 had been different. At the time, he accepted that Stoke had been beaten by a team containing high-quality players and managed by Roberto Mancini. The latest developments have caused him to reconsider that view.
“We lost, but to a team that have been found guilty of breaking the financial rules set out by the Premier League,” Pulis wrote.
That is Pulis’s interpretation of Friday’s reports rather than a conclusion that can yet be drawn from a published ruling. The Guardian reported that sources familiar with the outcome said an independent panel had found City guilty on almost all of the charges against them.
The allegations concerning City’s financial information include the 2010-11 season in which they won the FA Cup. That doesn’t establish that Stoke would have won the final in different circumstances, and there has been no announcement that City’s 2011 FA Cup victory will be overturned.
City have consistently denied wrongdoing and responded to Friday’s reports by saying the Premier League process “remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality”.
Pulis doesn’t expect Man City trophies to be handed back
For all the strength of his comments, Pulis isn’t expecting the history books to be rewritten. He said he doesn’t believe City will offer Stoke the FA Cup or that other trophies and titles will simply be returned.
Instead, his comments introduce another strand to a story we’ve already covered extensively since Thursday: how people who competed against City during the period covered by the allegations may now view those years.
We’ve already examined reports that rival clubs have preserved potential compensation claims against Man City while the disciplinary process continues.
Pulis’s reaction is more personal. He took Stoke to their first FA Cup final and came within one goal of winning the trophy. Fifteen years later, he says the latest developments have changed how he remembers that defeat.
City’s position remains that significant elements of the Premier League process are still to be completed. Pulis, meanwhile, has made his feelings about Wembley in 2011 very clear.
LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments
Comments.
Loading comments…