Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the USMNT, responded on Monday to Manchester City's widespread financial rule breaches, expressing his disappointment and stating that fans are "experiencing a period of deception" due to Manchester City's regulatory violations.

According to The Guardian and other media reports, Manchester City was found by the Premier League to have breached 115 different financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

Pochettino managed Tottenham Hotspur from 2014 to 2019 and Southampton from 2013 to 2014. He also managed Chelsea during the 2023-24 season.

When asked by The Guardian about his views on Manchester City's violations, Pochettino responded in Spanish: "Where is the regulation? That's what concerns me most. Where is the regulation?"

"If I recall correctly, I was at Southampton at that time, and then at Tottenham. I remember we were building Tottenham's stadium, and for 18 consecutive months we didn't have the financial capacity to sign players. I think we may have been the only team in Premier League history that couldn't sign players for 18 consecutive months."

"If a team like us, Tottenham, competes for the title, finishes in the top four every season, and reaches the Champions League semi-finals, yet cannot sign players for 18 months because we have to comply with Premier League financial regulations, then the situation is very strange."

"They apply very strict rules to us, but are very lenient with other teams. So, that's why I say: all of this is very strange. This world is full of lies, and I often feel it's not real. What are we really fighting against? What is actually real?"

Manchester City underwent significant changes following Abu Dhabi's takeover, culminating in a historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the 2022-23 season.

Manchester City's troubles began in 2018 when German magazine Der Spiegel, through an investigation, exposed potential financial breaches, citing leaked internal documents that revealed a series of violations over a decade from 2008 to 2018.

Manchester City has consistently denied the allegations. In 2023, the Premier League subsequently charged Manchester City, accusing the club of providing false financial information, with some issues related to payments to players and coaching staff.

Additionally, Manchester City was also accused of violating UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules and the Premier League's own Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

In 2020, UEFA attempted to punish Manchester City by banning the club from UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, and imposing a €30 million fine. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later overturned this punishment. CAS ruled that some violations had expired, occurring too long ago, while others were insufficiently proven.

Manchester City is expected to appeal the Premier League's decision within the next two weeks, and the subsequent legal process could take a considerable amount of time.

When asked what punishment he believed Manchester City deserved, Pochettino once again expressed his disappointment with the entire situation.

"Whatever punishment is ultimately chosen, it's impossible to turn back time," he said. "The damage that has been done is already in the past, and it far exceeds what can be measured by the rules themselves. Ultimately, many clubs follow the rules, and some clubs do not."

"Perhaps they thought at the time that punishment wouldn't come for years—then what? Financial sanctions? Points deductions? It's very difficult to address."

"It's sad," Pochettino continued. "It's an enormous sadness. Ultimately, we are now in a situation where things that were celebrated in the past may not be so real, things that looked good may not be so good, and things that looked bad might have actually been good initially, but because of everything that happened afterwards, they can't really be good."

"In the end, we are experiencing a period where sporting justice does not exist. So, if these 114 violations are ultimately confirmed, how do we make amends for all the damage caused? We are experiencing a period of deception."

Last week, Pochettino also spoke about the Premier League's punishment of Chelsea. Chelsea was also found to have committed similar violations, though on a much smaller scale.

In the 2016-17 season, Chelsea won the Premier League, while Pochettino's Tottenham finished second. Subsequently, Chelsea was heavily fined by the Premier League for undisclosed payments to players, coaches, and other related individuals, and also received a 9-month transfer ban for academy players.

Last week, Pochettino told English media: "We should have won the title, the Premier League title."

"They were punished and they admitted to the violations, so does that settle it? The title should have belonged to the second-place team... The truth is, we weren't competing under the same rules at that time."

"Of course, we can now say they scored goals and won matches, and that's it. But it's entirely reasonable to say that we weren't competing with the same deck of cards before the season started."

Pochettino also stated: "If the same rules applied at that time, perhaps we could have signed some players to strengthen the team or scored more goals."

"This isn't me complaining—it's the truth. If they acknowledge that they violated the rules, then the Premier League title should have belonged to the second-place team."

After the match against Chile, the USMNT will face Mexico and Canada on October 3 and 6, respectively, in Phoenix, Arizona, and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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