Spurs should be awarded 2016-17 title - Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea should be stripped of the Premier League title for 2016-17, when his Tottenham team finished runners-up. Chelsea were fined £10.75m in March after being charged by the Premier League for historical breaches of competition rules. The club also had a six-point deduction "set aside" on appeal. Antonio Conte's Chelsea team finished seven points clear of Pochettino's Spurs in 2016-17. Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital self-reported 74 breaches of Football Association rules when they purchased the club in 2022. The Blues admitted making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third-parties over transfers between 2011 and 2018. Pochettino, who managed Spurs from 2014 to 2019, said: "We should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it. "[ Chelsea ] were punished, they admitted, so that's it? The title should be for the team that was second. "It's true that we didn't compete with the same rules. It's completely fair to say that we didn't compete before the start of the season with the same card." The current USA coach led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final during his five years in charge of Spurs. They did not win a trophy during his time there, with his best Premier League finish being that second place to Chelsea in 2017. "Maybe with the same rules, if we apply the same things, maybe we could've signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals," added the Argentine, who later became Chelsea boss for the 2023-24 season. "It's not me complaining. It's the truth. If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second-best team. "I'm not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me because I'm saying this, but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules I'd admit the same." More on this story