EPL: Pochettino wants Spurs awarded Chelsea’s 2016/17 title
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineFormer Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has called for Chelsea to be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title and awarded to Spurs following the league’s punishment over historical rule breaches.
Pochettino’s Tottenham side finished second that season with a club-record 86 points, seven behind Chelsea, who won the title with 93 points.
His comments followed Chelsea’s £10.75m fine from the Premier League over historical breaches involving undisclosed payments linked to transfers and third parties between 2011 and 2018.
Pochettino said: “We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it.”
He added: “If that [Chelsea’s rule-break] was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure.
“They were punished, they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second.”
The Argentine argued that Tottenham did not compete under the same conditions as Chelsea.
Pochettino said: “We didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card.”
He also suggested Tottenham could have strengthened their squad had they operated under similar circumstances.
Pochettino said: “Maybe with the same rules, we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals.”
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Chelsea’s breaches related to undisclosed payments and the reporting of certain transfer dealings. The club self-reported the issues after its change of ownership in 2022 and cooperated with investigations.
No sporting points deduction was imposed in relation to the Premier League’s findings, meaning Chelsea remain the officially recognised champions of the 2016-17 season.
Pochettino acknowledged Chelsea’s performance under Antonio Conte but maintained that breaking the rules should have consequences for the title.
He said: “I don’t say that Chelsea didn’t play well, that Conte was not great. I don’t say that. I don’t want the message to be twisted.”
Pochettino added: “But if you broke the rules, then ‘ciao’ — you need to give it to another team. I don’t know why that didn’t happen.”
He said he would apply the same standard to Tottenham if the roles were reversed.
Pochettino said: “If we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I’d admit the same: ‘We don’t deserve the title because we broke the rules.’”
Tottenham’s 2016-17 campaign remains their best Premier League finish, with 26 wins, four defeats and 86 points. Chelsea recorded 30 victories on their way to the title.
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