Pochettino Questions Premier League Controls After Man City Breach Verdict
Mauricio Pochettino has questioned the Premier League’s financial controls after Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to alleged rule breaches from 2009 to 2018.
What we know
- City’s breaches cover a nine-year period in which the club won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups.
- Pochettino said deciding a fair sanction will be difficult, pointing to the different penalties handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest for financial-rule breaches.
- The United States coach questioned why the alleged failures were not identified earlier, saying the scale of the case raises major concerns over the league’s oversight.
- He said past sporting outcomes have been put in doubt, arguing that proven breaches would leave achievements “clouded” and impossible to fully repair.
- Pochettino managed Tottenham during a prolonged period without signings as the club financed its new stadium. Spurs finished second in 2016-17, third in 2017-18 and reached the 2019 Champions League final.
- The Argentine also revisited Tottenham’s title contests with Chelsea, saying clubs competing within restrictions were placed at a serious disadvantage against rivals with greater spending power.
United States focus turns to Chile
Pochettino must now switch his attention to the US men’s national team, who play Chile in a friendly on Tuesday.
The USA will then meet Mexico and Canada to complete their September and October international schedule. Those matches will give Pochettino further chances to assess his squad before future competitive fixtures.
