In a lengthy interview, United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino stated that Chelsea’s Premier League title from the 2016‑17 season should be stripped and awarded to Tottenham Hotspur, the runners-up of that campaign.
Premier League Table Top 5 – 2016‑17 Season
| Rank | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 93 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 86 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 78 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 76 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 75 |
Main Article Chelsea was previously found guilty of 74 financial breaches committed between 2011 and 2018. Mauricio Pochettino argued that Tottenham Hotspur, the side he managed at the time, should be retroactively awarded the 2016‑17 Premier League title, which Chelsea won on the pitch.
Chelsea admitted violating agent regulations during Roman Abramovich’s ownership, covering transfer dealings from 2011 to 2018. The club was fined £10 million by the FA this summer and handed a suspended transfer ban.
However, the FA did not impose any sporting sanctions. In the 2016‑17 season, Pochettino guided Tottenham to a second‑place finish behind Chelsea. He believes the Blues’ title should be revoked and reallocated to Spurs.
“I have said it before, we should have won a title, a Premier League title,” Pochettino told reporters. “That trophy should have been given to us. If those breaches are real and did happen, the title that year rightfully belongs to us because we finished second.”
Across the 2016‑17 Premier League campaign, Tottenham recorded the fewest defeats, scored the most goals and conceded the fewest goals in the division, yet still finished seven points behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side.
During the club takeover by Chelsea’s new ownership in 2022, accounting irregularities were uncovered and self-reported to regulators. Chelsea subsequently admitted 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2. Pochettino claims Chelsea and Tottenham were not competing on a level playing field under the same rules during the years affected by the violations.
Pochettino stressed his criticism was not aimed at Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
“They accepted the fine and the sanctions; the facts are proven,” Pochettino said. “The title should pass to the second‑placed team. Both sides were not competing under the same rules from the start. Yes, Chelsea scored goals and won matches; but it is undeniable that both clubs did not have the same resources available before the season kicked off. If both teams had operated under identical rules and methods, we might have signed top players to strengthen our squad and score more goals. I am not complaining, I am stating objective facts.”
The FA’s allegations centred on Chelsea paying millions of pounds to unregistered intermediaries for transfers, including signings of Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Nemanja Matić — all key members of Chelsea’s title‑winning squad in 2016‑17. Pochettino believes Eden Hazard was arguably the decisive player in that season’s title race.
Pochettino further explained his stance
Pochettino added: “Chelsea fans will surely be angry with me for saying this. But if Tottenham had committed those breaches back then, I would accept it and say: ‘Listen, we broke the rules and we do not deserve this title.’ You cannot have a game where offside rules apply to some teams but not others, or VAR available for some sides and unavailable for the rest. Everyone must compete under one set of rules and build the strongest squad possible within those boundaries.”
“I am not saying that Chelsea played poorly back then. Antonio Conte was an excellent manager, and I do not want my words misinterpreted. But once you break the rules, you have to be disqualified and surrender the title to another team.”
English football has historically been reluctant to strip clubs of already won silverware for rule breaches, yet Pochettino argues this leniency sends a damaging message to all clubs.
“It is practically an incentive to break the rules,” he said. “Without proper heavy sanctions, all I can say is: ‘Well, it was the loss of that title that cost me my job at Tottenham.’”
Pochettino was dismissed by Tottenham in November 2019, having failed to win any major senior trophy during his tenure. With the full context now public, he believes his managerial record from that era should be reassessed: “We were competing against opponents operating with different means. I think we deserve more recognition because we stuck to the rules.”
