Mauricio Pochettino makes Man City 'no punishment' claim and takes aim at Premier League

· Mirror

Mauricio Pochettino has issued a clear verdict on Manchester City's alleged financial breaches with the ex-Tottenham head coach also hitting out at the Premier League

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that "no punishment will repair the damage" that has been caused by Manchester City's alleged 114 financial breaches.

The 54-year-old, who is now in charge of the USMNT, was at the helm of Spurs during the period which City have been found in breach of Premier League regulations. The club are planning to appeal the outcome and continue to deny any wrongdoing.

When asked for his thoughts on the guilty verdict, Pochettino delivered a clear response and also took aim at the Premier League.

"It’s very difficult when out of 115 charges you are found guilty of 114 to know what the punishment should be to make it fair,’ Pochettino told a press conference. "Because there are other clubs like Nottingham Forest or Everton that broke rules and received different sanctions, whether point deductions or fines.

> "It’s a very difficult situation that causes astonishment given the magnitude of the verdict. And it’s also fair to ask where the controls were for the rules to be broken like that. That’s what catches my attention the most.

> "It’s a very sad situation because what was already achieved and celebrated maybe wasn’t real, and what wasn’t so good could have been better.

> "We have lived through a period where sporting justice did not exist. If the charges are proven, it’s very difficult to repair what happened. I hope that at least it serves to ensure equality exists in the future.’

> "That was a big disadvantage because we were fighting among the best teams and reaching a Champions League final. Why were those controls so strict with us and not as much with others?

> "That’s why I say everything is very strange, and the problem is that everything gets clouded. If it’s true that they broke 114 rules, we have lived through a period of deceit. No type of punishment will make it possible to repair what was done, and the Premier League’s controls are severely damaged.

In Spanish, he also told the Guardian: “Where were the controls? That’s what gets my attention. Where were the controls? 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]. 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.

> "Maybe they thought that the punishment [wouldn’t come for a lot of years] – what are they going to do? An economic punishment? Docking points?

> "It’s really hard and it is a huge sadness. At the end of the day 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."

Pochettino's thoughts are perhaps not that surprising given he believes that Tottenham should have a Premier League title due to Chelsea's violations that they admitted to upon the arrival of the new ownership.

The Argentine was linked with a return to north London but signed a new contract overseas following the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi, who kept Spurs in the Premier League last season.

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