Mauricio Pochettino has questioned how English football’s regulators let Manchester City go through a decade without being stopped.
Speaking in Spanish to the Guardian, the US men’s national team head coach reacted to news that an independent Premier League commission had found City guilty of 114 of the 115 financial charges brought against the club.
“Where were the controls? That’s what gets my attention. Where were the controls?” Pochettino said.
The verdict, first reported by David Ornstein of the Athletic on 25 September, covers alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018. Sanctions have not been set and City are expected to appeal.
Tottenham’s 18-month silence
For Pochettino, the case is personal. He was Tottenham head coach from 2014 to 2019, a period that sat largely inside the window the commission examined, and had to build a squad while the club funded its new stadium.
“I remember building [the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] and not having the economic possibility of a transfer for 18 months,” he told the Guardian.
His Spurs side finished second to Chelsea in 2016-17, reached a Champions League final and put together a run of top-four finishes without ever spending to match the champion clubs above them.
“They were so strict with us but also so lenient with others.”
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The 2016-17 title claim
Earlier this month, Pochettino renewed a separate argument about that 2016-17 season, when Antonio Conte’s Chelsea finished seven points clear of Spurs.
Chelsea admitted breaches of FA agent rules dating back to the Roman Abramovich era and agreed a £10m fine and a suspended transfer ban in a settlement announced on 16 March 2026. No on-field sanction was imposed.
“We should win one title, one Premier League. They were punished, they admitted, so that’s it? The Premier League title was for the second best team,” Pochettino said.
No way to turn back time
Pochettino, whose USMNT deal was extended through 2030 in August, said any punishment now would arrive too late for those who competed against City through those years.
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“Whatever punishment [they choose], it’s impossible to turn back time. An economic punishment? Docking points? It’s really hard.”
The independent commission has yet to publish the sanctions. Under Premier League rules, the options range from fines to points deductions, relegation and the annulment of previous titles. Both sides have 14 days to appeal once the decision is formally handed down.
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