Kyle Walker insists the good times at Manchester City belong to the players forever — whatever the outcome of the club's appeal against last week's devastating ruling that found them guilty on all charges of breaching Premier League financial rules.

The independent commission's verdict, delivered last week, determined that City broke Premier League rules across a nine-year period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, inflating their income by more than £900 million in the process. It is the most significant judgment in English football's modern history, and City have wasted no time in lodging an appeal, insisting the ruling contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact."

Walker, who spent eight years at the Etihad from 2017 to 2025 and now captains Burnley, was one of the first prominent former players to speak publicly about the verdict. Appearing on TalkSport, he chose his words carefully but made clear that no legal process can strip him and his former team-mates of what they lived through together.

"Obviously it doesn't look great," Walker acknowledged. "It's in an appeal stage so for me to start commenting on the legal action — it's not going to do myself justice or anyone involved in it."

But on the personal impact, he was more forthcoming. "At a personal level, I can say the lads, we spent many and many a great year celebrating many trophies and everything like that — and that's something that, whatever happens, they can't take away from us because we've experienced them nights. So, whatever will be, will be, and it's just down to the appeal now and what goes from there."

During his time in Manchester, Walker collected 12 major domestic honours and a Champions League winners' medal. Those achievements now sit in a cloud of uncertainty that the former England right-back admits is deeply uncomfortable.

"It's something we don't want to talk about because we want to be looked upon as winning them trophies, winning them the right way," he said. "It's very difficult because we've worked very hard for them."

City's official response remains combative. A club statement issued on Friday read: "The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions relating to this case."

The appeal process now takes centre stage, with the ultimate question — whether titles, cups and records are expunged or preserved — hanging over every club that finished below City during those seasons. The market has already started pricing in uncertainty around the club's short-term trajectory, while rival supporters across the country are watching the appeals process with intense interest.

For Walker, the emotion is real. A player who gave the best years of his career to that project, he is navigating a line between personal pride and a verdict that, in his own words, simply does not look great. That tension is unlikely to ease any time soon.

Frequently asked

What were Manchester City found guilty of?
An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules across a nine-year period from the 2009-10 season to 2017-18, with the club said to have inflated their income by more than £900 million. City have appealed against the ruling.
Will Manchester City have their trophies stripped?
No decision on any sporting sanction — including potential points deductions or title stripping — has been confirmed. City are appealing the guilty verdict, so the full consequences will not be known until that process concludes.
What did Kyle Walker say about the Man City verdict?
Speaking on TalkSport, Walker said the guilty verdict "doesn't look great" but stopped short of commenting on the legal process while the appeal is ongoing. He insisted the memories and trophies won with City's players could never be taken away from them personally.