Pochettino says Chelsea should lose 2017 Premier League title to Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea should be stripped of the 2017 Premier League title and that it should instead be awarded to Tottenham.

The 54-year-old Argentine, who has agreed a new four-year contract to remain manager of the United States, believes Tottenham deserve to benefit after Chelsea admitted breaching Football Association rules.

Chelsea avoided a £10m fine and received no sporting punishment despite acknowledging 74 breaches of FA regulations. The offences included £47m in secret, illegal payments to unregistered agents between 2011 and 2018, during the period when the club was owned by Roman Abramovich.

Several transfers involving players who later played key roles in Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side were facilitated by those payments. They included Eden Hazard, Willian and David Luiz. Hazard scored 16 goals for Conte’s team.

Pochettino managed Tottenham from 2014 to 2019 and was Chelsea manager during the 2023/24 season. Speaking to The Sun, he said he had no hesitation in expressing his view despite the reaction it could provoke among Chelsea supporters.

“I have no doubt and I am not afraid to say the truth,” Pochettino said. “Chelsea fans will be angry with me because I am saying this. I am not complaining, it is the truth.”

He added: “If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title should go to the team that finished second, Tottenham. Otherwise, what is being promoted and incentivised is breaking the rules.

“They admitted it, and that is all. The title should belong to the team that finished second.”

Chelsea won the 2016/17 Premier League title under Conte, finishing seven points ahead of Tottenham. Tottenham were the only team in Premier League history to score the most goals and concede the fewest in the same season without winning the title.

Pochettino’s comments come after Chelsea’s admission of historic breaches resulted in a financial penalty but no change to the sporting outcome of the 2016/17 campaign. The payments under investigation were made across the period from 2011 to 2018, when the club operated under Abramovich’s ownership.

Hazard, Willian and Luiz were all prominent members of the Chelsea squad coached by Conte, with Hazard’s 16 goals contributing to the club’s title-winning season. Pochettino’s argument is that Tottenham’s second-place finish should now be recognised as a championship victory because of Chelsea’s admitted rule violations.