Tony Pulis managed Stoke City during their 2011 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
The former Stoke manager has questioned the legacy of City’s Wembley win amid reports of a financial rules verdict that the Premier League has not officially announced.
Former Stoke City manager Tony Pulis says he feels “cheated” after Manchester City’s reported financial-rule verdict.
Pulis led Stoke to the 2011 FA Cup final at Wembley against Manchester City.
City won the match 1-0 through Yaya Touré’s second-half goal.
The defeat denied Stoke their chance to win their first major trophy since the 1972 League Cup.
However, the result has returned to the spotlight following reports about Manchester City’s Premier League case.
Reports on Friday said an independent commission found City guilty of 114 of 115 charges.
The Premier League has not publicly released the commission’s full findings.
Manchester City also says the Premier League process remains ongoing.
The club has denied wrongdoing and is expected to appeal any eventual sanctions.
Pulis Questions Stoke’s 2011 Defeat
Writing in his BBC Sport column, Pulis questioned whether Stoke would ever receive the FA Cup.
He said Stoke supporters had been asking when their club would get the trophy.
Pulis admitted he shared their feelings after the latest reports emerged.
However, he does not expect City to return the 2011 trophy or their winners’ medals.
He also questioned whether other honours from the period would be returned.
Pulis suggested that financial penalties or a points deduction could follow.
Those possible sanctions remain speculative because no punishment has been announced.
Pulis said the situation had changed how he viewed Stoke’s Wembley defeat.
He had previously accepted the loss as a defeat against a star-studded Manchester City side.
The former manager now says the reported findings have left him feeling cheated.
Manchester City Maintain Their Position
Manchester City have continued to reject the allegations against the club.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak also defended City following the latest reports.
He said the club remained confident despite the renewed scrutiny.
City previously said the Premier League process remained ongoing.
The club also stressed its commitment to due process and rejected the allegations.
Any eventual sanction would remain subject to the club’s appeal rights.
The reports have nevertheless renewed debate about City’s achievements during the period under investigation.
What the Premier League Case Covers
The Premier League brought 115 charges against Manchester City in February 2023.
The allegations cover a period between 2009 and 2018.
They include claims involving financial information provided by the club.
The case also covers alleged breaches involving player and manager payments.
Other allegations concern the league’s financial sustainability rules.
City also faced an allegation that it failed to cooperate with the Premier League investigation.
An independent commission heard the case after the Premier League referred it in 2023.
The commission held its hearing privately in 2024.
Reports now say the commission has reached its findings, but the full decision remains unpublished.
Stoke’s Wembley Heartbreak Returns to Focus
For Stoke, the 2011 final represented a major opportunity to end a long wait for silverware.
Instead, Touré’s goal handed City their first major trophy under their Abu Dhabi ownership.
Pulis now says the reported financial findings have changed the context around that defeat.
Still, no decision has been announced to overturn the 2011 FA Cup result.
There has also been no official move to transfer the trophy to Stoke.
For now, Pulis’ comments add a fresh emotional angle to Manchester City’s unresolved financial case.
The next major step will be the publication of the official findings and any subsequent appeal.
