Mauricio Pochettino has not forgotten the Premier League title he came close to winning with Tottenham. The Argentine coach has once again spoken about the 2016-17 season and believes Spurs should be recognized as champions if it is determined that Chelsea broke the rules during that campaign.
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Mauricio Pochettino Claims the Premier League Title Tottenham Lost to Chelsea
Nearly a decade after the 2016-17 season, Mauricio Pochettino believes his Tottenham side should be recognized as Premier League champions if the irregularities committed by Chelsea during that era affected the integrity of the competition.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea finished that season with 93 points, seven ahead of Tottenham, who ended the campaign in second place under Pochettino. However, subsequent investigations into various irregularities during Roman Abramovich’s ownership have reignited the debate surrounding that title.
“If Chelsea broke the rules, Tottenham should be recognized as champions,” Pochettino told The Guardian.
Chelsea Sanctions Reignite the Debate
The case gained further attention after Chelsea admitted to 74 breaches of Football Association regulations involving agents, intermediaries and various player-related transactions.
The investigation examined payments and transactions that were not properly reported during the Abramovich era. Deals involving prominent players from that period, including Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic, were among those scrutinized.
As a result, the club was fined £10 million. However, authorities did not determine that the violations were serious enough to strip Chelsea of the 93 points earned that season or officially take away the Premier League title.
Pochettino Believes Tottenham Should Be Champions
For Pochettino, the discussion goes beyond a financial penalty. His argument centers on the sporting integrity of the competition: if one team breaks the rules while its rivals follow them, he believes an imbalance is created that can directly affect the outcome of the tournament.
Tottenham were Chelsea’s closest challengers that season and ultimately finished as runners-up. For that reason, the Argentine believes Spurs should benefit if the London club is ever stripped of the title.
The problem for Tottenham is that the rules do not state that the second-place team is automatically declared champion when the winner is sanctioned years later.
