Spurs should be awarded 2016-17 title - Pochettino

What the report says

Mauricio Pochettino has argued that Tottenham should be regarded as the rightful Premier League champions for 2016-17, saying Chelsea ought to be stripped of the title. The remarks, reported by BBC Sport Football, come after Chelsea were fined £10.75m in March over historical Premier League rule breaches, with a separate six-point deduction later set aside on appeal.

Chelsea finished seven points ahead of Pochettino’s Spurs that season. The BBC report also notes that Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital self-reported 74 Football Association rule breaches after buying the club in 2022, and that the club admitted to making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties across transfer dealings between 2011 and 2018.

Pochettino, who managed Tottenham from 2014 to 2019 and is now coach of the United States, said the competition was not played on equal terms. He argued that if rules were broken and admitted, the title should go to the next-best team. His comments revive a long-running debate about sporting fairness and the consequences of financial rule breaches, while also drawing attention to Tottenham’s strongest league finish under his tenure.

BBC Sport also notes that Spurs lost to Chelsea in the 2016-17 FA Cup semi-finals and later reached the 2019 Champions League final without winning a trophy during Pochettino’s time in charge.