Pochettino says no punishment can repair damage from Man City's 114 financial breaches

Mauricio Pochettino has said that “no punishment will repair the damage” done by Manchester City’s 114 alleged financial breaches, delivering his most candid verdict yet on a case that overshadowed a significant portion of his time as Tottenham head coach.

The 54-year-old, now in charge of the United States men’s national team, was managing Spurs during the period covered by the charges. City have been found in breach of Premier League regulations, are planning to appeal the outcome, and continue to deny any wrongdoing.

Speaking in Spanish to the Guardian, Pochettino directed pointed criticism at the Premier League itself, questioning why oversight failed for so long. “Where were the controls? That’s what gets my attention,” he said. “If I remember being at Southampton, then Tottenham — I remember building [the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] and not having the economic possibility of a transfer for 18 months. I think we were the only team in the history of the Premier League with 18 months without [making a transfer].”

Pochettino argued that the disparity in how financial rules were applied made a mockery of sporting fairness. “They were so strict with us but also so lenient with others. Because of that, that’s why I say: it’s all very strange. At the end of the day, we went through something where sporting fairness didn’t exist.”

He acknowledged the near-impossibility of providing meaningful redress. “Whatever punishment [they choose], it’s impossible to turn back time. It’s done a lot of damage, more than anything the guidelines. At the end of the day many clubs followed the rules and some didn’t.”

Reflecting on what the period now means in retrospect, Pochettino was candid about the sense of disillusionment it has created. “We get into a situation where what got celebrated wasn’t that real, what seemed good maybe wasn’t so good, what didn’t look good maybe was good but couldn’t be good because of what happened.”

Tottenham finished in the Premier League’s top four in four consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2019 under Pochettino, and reached the Champions League final in 2019 — all without making a transfer for an 18-month stretch during that run due to the financial demands of their new stadium.