Mauricio Pochettino Slams Manchester City Verdicts: Fans 'Lived Through an Era of Deception'

United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has hit out at the financial rule breaches in the Premier League, declaring that football supporters "lived through a period of deception" following reports that Manchester City have been found guilty of widespread financial violations.

Reports indicate Manchester City have been found guilty by the Premier League of violating the vast majority of 115 charges concerning financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The verdict follows an extensive process that initially began after internal documents were published in 2018, leading to Premier League charges in 2023 regarding financial reporting, payments to staff, and compliance with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) as well as UEFA Financial Fair Play.

'Where Were the Controls?'

Pochettino, who spent five years managing Tottenham Hotspur from 2014 to 2019 after a spell at Southampton, reflected on the constraints his teams operated under while competing at the top of the table.

"Where were the controls?" Pochettino asked. "That’s what gets my attention. Where were the controls? If I remember being at Southampton, then Tottenham – I remember building [the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] and not having the economic possibility of a transfer for 18 months. I think we were the only team in the history of the Premier League with 18 months without [making a transfer]."

"If a team like us, Tottenham, was fighting for titles with those above us and every year in the top four, getting to the semi-finals of Champions League without being able to do a transfer for 18 months, all because we needed to get used to the [Premier League financial controls]? They were so strict with us but also so lenient with others. Because of that, that’s why I say: it’s all very strange."

Damage to Sporting Integrity

With Manchester City widely anticipated to appeal the findings, Pochettino addressed the lasting ramifications on the sport regardless of what sanctions are eventually imposed.

"Whatever punishment [they choose], it’s impossible to turn back time," he said. "It’s done a lot of damage, more than anything the guidelines. At the end of the day many clubs followed the rules and some didn’t. Maybe they thought that the punishment [wouldn’t come for a lot of years] – what are they going to do? An economic punishment? Docking points? It’s really hard."

"It’s sad," Pochettino added. "It is a huge sadness. At the end of the day we get into a situation where what got celebrated wasn’t that real, what seemed good maybe wasn’t so good, what didn’t look good maybe was good but couldn’t be good because of what happened. At the end of the day, we went through something where sporting fairness didn’t exist. So, how do you repair everything that was damaged because of that, if it’s true all of the 114 rules that were broken, we’ve lived through a period of deception."

Title Claims and Equal Rules

Pochettino also referenced previous penalties handed to Chelsea regarding undisclosed payments, pointing out the 2016-17 campaign when his Tottenham side finished runners-up in the Premier League.

"We should win one title, one Premier League," Pochettino stated. "They were punished, they admitted, so that’s it? The title should be for the team that was second… It’s true that we didn’t compete with the same rules. OK, now we can say that they scored goals, they won games, and like this. OK, that’s it, but it’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card."

"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. 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."