Mauricio Pochettino has questioned the implications of Manchester City’s guilty verdict in the Premier League’s financial case, describing the findings as evidence of a possible period of “deception” if the ruling ultimately stands.
Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations, with the verdict raising wider questions about competitive fairness and the integrity of previous seasons.
Speaking ahead of the United States’ friendly against Chile in St Louis, Pochettino was asked what punishment would be appropriate if the findings against City are upheld through the remaining legal process.
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager admitted he struggled to identify a sanction that could adequately address the potential consequences.
“What is the punishment that’s just?” Pochettino said, via The Athletic.
It’s the astonishment you feel when a ruling comes out citing 114 rule violations. How did this happen?
Pochettino also questioned the Premier League’s monitoring and enforcement procedures, asking how such alleged breaches could have continued without being detected or prevented at the time.
His comments carry additional context because of his experience competing against Manchester City during his time at Tottenham under Pep Guardiola.
The Argentine recalled Tottenham’s decision to go through two consecutive transfer windows without signing a player in 2018 and 2019 while the club prioritised financing the construction of its new stadium and remaining within the financial rules.
Pochettino guided Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, while the club also challenged for the Premier League title during his tenure.
Earlier this month, he also argued that Tottenham should be considered for the 2016/17 Premier League title if Chelsea’s subsequent financial breaches were taken into account, a position that has generated further debate over the consequences of retrospective sanctions.
Pochettino believes the Manchester City case raises similarly difficult questions about how past competitions should be viewed if the findings ultimately survive the appeal process.
If it’s true that the 114 rules were broken, then we lived through a period of deception
He said.
The former Tottenham boss acknowledged that the impact could be impossible to measure, particularly for clubs and managers who operated within the regulations while competing against teams alleged to have breached them.
“It’s sad. It’s deeply sad, What seemed so good maybe wasn’t so good.
Pochettino added.
Pochettino also stressed that the priority should now be ensuring clubs compete under the same rules, although he admitted that no punishment could completely undo the sporting consequences of previous seasons.
So, we’ll wait and see, We’ll stay calm and wait to see what happens.
Manchester City have consistently denied wrongdoing and are expected to appeal against the independent panel’s findings. The club’s eventual punishment, if any, remains undecided, meaning the full consequences of the verdict are yet to be established.
The case could therefore continue to raise difficult questions about previous Premier League campaigns, particularly for clubs that believe they were disadvantaged by competing under different financial circumstances.
