Former Queens Park Rangers striker Djibril Cisse has furiously rejected claims by former Premier League referee Mike Dean that QPR used strange tactics against Manchester City during their famous 2012 title-deciding match.
The match on the final day of the 2011-12 season saw Manchester City score twice in stoppage time to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory, snatching the Premier League title away from rivals Manchester United in the dying seconds of the campaign. Roberto Mancini's side had trailed 2-1 before Edin Dzeko equalised in the 92nd minute, setting up Sergio Aguero to score an iconic late winner that sealed City's first Premier League trophy.
The scrutiny surrounding Manchester City's past achievements comes after the club was found guilty of the vast majority of charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules. The Premier League accused the club of widespread financial doping over an era of sustained success, with Daily Mail Sport understanding that the league succeeded in proving all substantive claims. Manchester City have won 26 trophies since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008, including eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the Champions League as part of their 2022-23 Treble-winning season.
Referee claims and podcast discussion
Cisse, who played and scored for QPR in the match, responded to a social media clip of an episode of The Overlap podcast, broadcast last November, which showed former referee Dean and former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney discussing the closing stages of the game.
Dean, who refereed the match, questioned why QPR booted the ball back to Manchester City from the kick-off after Edin Dzeko's 92nd-minute equaliser, an observation Rooney had previously made. Footage of QPR's restart after Dzeko's goal showed them kicking the ball immediately out of play near City's corner flag, allowing the hosts to go straight back on the attack.
Dean recalled the incident on the podcast: "Once they knew they were safe QPR, I think Jamie Mackie was on the pitch celebrating while the game was still going on. They make it 2-2, and they just kick it back and give it to them. And we were like, 'what's going on, why are they giving the ball back straightaway?' I said in the ear piece. It was just a strange one. To kick off and give the ball straight back to them. Neil Swarbrick, the fourth official, said, 'keep switched on, something is going to happen.' You just knew something was going to happen. You could just tell."
Rooney added that QPR "had loads of ex-City players in there as well," noting that Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Joey Barton had all previously played for Manchester City. Barton was sent off in the 55th minute of the match. The former Manchester United star also quipped "there's another charge" in a reference to the 115 charges faced by Manchester City.
Rooney had previously raised conspiracy theories about the match in 2022 during an interview with The Sun. He said: "Paddy Kenny should have done better for a couple of the goals. City get the second goal and QPR kick it straight back to them and that's never been questioned - I find that strange. Djibril Cisse celebrating after the game with the City players, but yeah listen it's a historic moment in the Premier League so I'm sure that, if you are not involved as a Manchester United player, that's probably one of the greatest moments in the league."
Cisse responds on social media
Cisse hit out at the comments on social media after the podcast clip resurfaced. Writing online, he stated: "I'm not gonna let you people talk s*** like that. Let's have a proper meeting and talk about it. 'Cause there is no way I gonna accept your bull**** anymore, so let's do it."
In a separate post, Cisse added: "Is it our fault if they have lost 5 games in the league and waited the last game to win the league???"
Cisse had previously defended his actions last year in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, addressing Rooney's comments: "I'm not going to take this accusation any longer. I was celebrating with Samir Nasri. I didn't celebrate with Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero or anybody else. I celebrated with my brother, Samir, who had been a friend of mine for 15 years. I was happy for my friend and also that we managed to stay up. I don't care about Man City. My friend finally won the Premier League after many years in England and I was happy for him and also for me. That's all."
Background and ongoing debate
Queens Park Rangers had entered the final day of the 2011-12 season fighting against relegation to the Championship, while Manchester City needed a win to claim their first top-flight title since 1968. Results elsewhere on the afternoon ensured QPR retained their Premier League status despite the 3-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, prompting wild celebrations among QPR staff and players after the final whistle.
With Manchester City recently found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules during that era, fans and observers have revisited key moments from the club's trophy-winning campaigns. However, Cisse remains firm that QPR's performance and post-match celebrations in 2012 were entirely honest and born out of relief at surviving relegation.
