Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham should have been awarded the 2016-17 Premier League title after Chelsea were punished for historical breaches of competition rules.
Chelsea were fined £10.75m in March after being charged by the Premier League over historic rule breaches. A proposed six-point deduction was also set aside on appeal.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side finished seven points clear of Pochettino’s Tottenham in the 2016-17 season, denying Spurs their first Premier League title.
Pochettino, who managed Tottenham from 2014 to 2019 and is now coach of the United States, believes the subsequent punishment means the title should have been handed to the runners-up.
“We should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it,” Pochettino said.
“They were punished, they admitted, so that’s it? The title should be for the team that was second.”
Chelsea’s owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital self-reported 74 breaches of Football Association rules after completing their takeover of the club in 2022.
The club admitted making £47m in undisclosed payments to unregistered agents and third parties relating to transfers between 2011 and 2018.
Pochettino argued that the breaches could have affected Tottenham’s ability to compete with Chelsea during the 2016-17 campaign.
“It’s true that we didn’t compete with the same rules. It’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card,” he said.
“Maybe with the same rules, if we apply the same things, maybe we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals.”
Pochettino, who later managed Chelsea during the 2023-24 season, insisted his comments were not a complaint but an argument based on what he considers to be the facts.
“It’s not me complaining – it’s the truth. If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second-best team.”
Tottenham did not win a trophy during Pochettino’s five-year tenure, although he guided the club to second place in the Premier League in 2017 and the Champions League final two years later.
“I’m not scared to say the truth,” Pochettino added. “The Chelsea fans will be upset with me because I’m saying this, but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules I’d admit the same.”
