Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea should lose their 2016-17 Premier League crown because of financial regulation violations, with the trophy reassigned to Tottenham, whom he guided to the runners-up position that season.
In July, the Football Association imposed a £10m penalty on Chelsea and issued a suspended transfer ban covering two windows after identifying several offences committed during Roman Abramovich’s ownership. The Premier League had also ordered the club to pay £10.75m in March.
Investigators concluded that the club had worked with agents who lacked the necessary licences and attempted to conceal details of transfer activity carried out from 2009 to 2022. The transactions involving Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic were among those deemed to have violated the regulations. Each of those players played an important role in the club’s title-winning campaign under Antonio Conte in 2016-17.
After replacing Abramovich in 2022, the BlueCo ownership group disclosed the violations itself in an effort to reduce the severity of any sanctions. Chelsea consequently escaped a points deduction. Pochettino, who later coached the club during the 2023-24 season and now leads the United States, argues that the punishment was far too lenient. His Tottenham side ended that campaign seven points behind Conte’s team.
“We should have one Premier League trophy because it ought to have been given to us,” Pochettino said during an extensive interview. “If Chelsea did break the rules, then we unquestionably deserved to be named champions that season. They received a punishment and acknowledged what happened, so the trophy should go to the side that finished second.
“People can point out that they scored goals and won matches, which is true. However, it is reasonable to say that we did not begin the campaign under equal conditions. Had everyone operated under identical rules, perhaps we could have recruited players who would have strengthened our squad or provided more goals.”
From 2009 to 2022, Chelsea collected three domestic league championships, two Champions League trophies, two Europa League titles, four FA Cups and one League Cup. Pochettino was asked whether Hazard had been especially influential during the 2016-17 race, in which the winger registered 16 league goals.
“That may be the case,” Pochettino responded. “I have no hesitation about speaking honestly. Chelsea supporters might be unhappy with me, but I would say exactly the same thing if Tottenham had violated the regulations: ‘We broke the rules, so we are not entitled to the championship.’
“A competition cannot be fair if certain clubs must follow the offside law while others do not, or if some teams use VAR and others are exempt from it. Every participant must operate under an identical framework before they can demonstrate their ability to assemble the strongest possible squad.
“I am not suggesting that Chelsea performed poorly or that Conte failed to do an excellent job. That is not my argument, and I do not want my comments misrepresented. But when a club violates the regulations, ciao – the trophy should be handed to another team. I cannot understand why that did not occur. Without an appropriate penalty, clubs are effectively encouraged to disregard the rules. I can then say: ‘Yes … I eventually lost my position at Tottenham because we failed to win a trophy.’”
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