Pochettino says Manchester City case has left Premier League oversight ‘unclear’

Mauricio Pochettino has questioned how the Premier League has dealt with Manchester City’s case involving 115 alleged financial breaches, saying the scale of the allegations and the league’s approach to punishment were difficult to understand.

The United States head coach and former Tottenham and Chelsea manager was speaking after English media reports claimed Manchester City had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 financial breaches they were alleged to have committed between 2009 and 2018.

The case remains subject to dispute and legal proceedings.

“It is extremely difficult to determine a fair punishment when there is a conviction on 114 out of 115 charges,” Pochettino said.

“Other clubs, such as Nottingham Forest and Everton, broke the rules and received different punishments, whether points deductions or financial fines.”

Pochettino’s comments were reported by Foot Mercato, which quoted him as saying: “It is a very delicate and surprising situation considering the judgment. It is legitimate to question the controls that allowed such breaches to happen, and that is what surprises me most.”

He also referred to his own experience at Tottenham, recalling the sanctions and restrictions imposed on the club during his time in charge. The most significant of those measures, he said, was an 18-month transfer ban.

“Why were the controls so strict with us and so lenient with others?” Pochettino added. “That is why I say everything is extremely strange. The problem is that matters have become unclear.”

The Argentine manager ended by questioning whether any punishment could properly address the consequences if the reported findings were confirmed.

“If it is true that they broke 114 rules, then we went through a period of deception,” he said. “No punishment can repair the damage, and the Premier League’s monitoring system is seriously flawed.”