Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the U.S. men's national team, spoke out on Monday about the widespread financial irregularities Man City has been charged with, expressing his disappointment and stating that fans "have gone through a period of deception" due to Man City's rule violations.

As The Guardian and other media outlets have reported, Man City has been found by the Premier League to have breached the vast majority of 115 different financial regulations, with these violations occurring between 2009 and 2018.

Pochettino managed Tottenham 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 thoughts on Man City's violations, Pochettino responded in Spanish: "Where are the rules? That's what concerns me most. Where are the rules?"

"If I remember correctly, I was at Southampton at that time, and then I went to 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 unable to sign players for 18 consecutive months."

"If a team like us, like Tottenham, while competing for the title, always in the top four each season and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, couldn't sign players for 18 consecutive months because we had to comply with Premier League financial regulations, then this situation is very strange."

"The rules they applied to us were very strict, but they were very loose with other teams. That's why I say all of this is very strange. This world is full of lies, and I often feel like nothing is real. What are we really competing against at that time? What is real?"

Man City underwent significant changes following investment from Abu Dhabi, culminating in the 2022-23 season with a treble comprising the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

Man City's issues began in 2018 when German newspaper Der Spiegel revealed potential financial irregularities through an investigation, citing leaked internal documents that indicated numerous violations between 2008 and 2018.

Man City has consistently denied all allegations. In 2023, the Premier League charged Man City with providing false financial information, with some issues related to payments to players and coaches.

Additionally, Man City has been accused of breaching UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules and the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability (PSR) regulations.

In 2020, UEFA attempted to sanction Man City, banning the club from UEFA competitions like the Champions League and imposing a €30 million fine. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later overturned this sanction. The arbitration court ruled that some violations occurred too long ago, beyond the statute of limitations, while other violations were not sufficiently proven.

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

When asked what punishment he thought Man City deserves, Pochettino once again expressed his frustration with the entire situation.

"No matter what punishment is ultimately imposed, you can't turn back time," he said. "The damage has been done, and it goes far beyond what the rules can measure. Ultimately, many clubs have followed the rules, while some have not."

"Perhaps they thought at that time that punishment wouldn't come for many years—so what? Financial penalties? Points deductions? It's hard to resolve."

"It's sad," Pochettino continued. "It's a great sadness. Ultimately, we're in a situation where what was celebrated in the past may not be real, what looks good may not be good, and what looks bad may have initially been good, but because of everything that happened afterward, it can't really become good."

"In the end, we've gone through a period where fairness in sport didn't exist. So, if all 114 violations are ultimately confirmed, how can we compensate for all the damage that has been caused? We've been through a period of deception."

Last week, Pochettino also discussed the Premier League's sanction against Chelsea. Chelsea was also found to have similar violations, though on a much smaller scale.

In the 2016-17 season, Chelsea won the Premier League title, while Pochettino's Tottenham finished second. Since then, Chelsea has been heavily fined by the Premier League for undisclosed payments to players, coaches, and other related staff, and was also banned from signing young players for nine months.

Last week, Pochettino said in an interview with English media: "We should have won a title, a Premier League title."

"They were punished and they admitted to violations, and that's it? The title should belong to the second-place team... The fact is, we weren't competing under the same rules at that time."

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

Pochettino also said: "If the same rules had been applied at that time, perhaps we could have signed some players to make the team stronger or score more goals."

"This isn't me complaining, it's a fact. If they admitted to breaking the rules, then the Premier League title should have gone to the second-place team."

After the match against Chile, the U.S. national team will face Mexico on October 3 and Canada on October 6 in Phoenix, Arizona and St. Paul, Minnesota.

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