Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has called for Chelsea to lose the 2016/17 Premier League title and have it awarded retrospectively to Tottenham.
Pochettino Calls for Title to Be Reassigned
Pochettino, who managed Tottenham during the 2016/17 season, believes Chelsea’s financial rule breaches gave them an unfair advantage over their rivals.
Chelsea were fined £10.75 million after historical breaches involving undisclosed payments to players, agents and third parties. The violations occurred during the Roman Abramovich era and were voluntarily reported by the club’s current owners in 2022.
Tottenham finished second that season with 86 points, seven behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side.
“We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it,” Pochettino said.
‘The Title Should Be for the Team That Was Second’
The former Chelsea manager argued that Tottenham did not compete on equal terms because Chelsea’s rule violations allegedly affected their squad-building.
“If that [Chelsea’s rule-break] was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished, they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second,” he said.
Pochettino acknowledged that Chelsea played well under Conte but maintained that competition must be based on the same rules for every club.
He said he would accept the same punishment if Tottenham had been the club found guilty of breaking the rules.
