USA national team manager Mauricio Pochettino on Monday discussed Manchester City's widespread financial breaches, expressing frustration and stating that fans "lived through a period of deception" due to the club's regulatory violations.

According to The Guardian and other media reports, the Premier League found that Manchester City breached the vast majority of 115 different financial regulations 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 The Guardian asked for his view on Manchester City's financial breaches, Pochettino said in Spanish: "Where is the regulation? That's what concerns me most. Where is the regulation?"

"If I remember correctly, I was at Southampton and then moved to Tottenham. I remember we were building Tottenham's stadium, and for 18 consecutive months we had no financial capacity to make transfers. I think we were possibly the only team in Premier League history that couldn't sign players for 18 consecutive months."

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

"The rules applied to us were very strict, but for other teams they were very lenient. That's why I say: it's all very strange. This world is full of lies, and I often feel a sense of unreality. What were we really competing against? What was truly real?"

Following the Abu Dhabi takeover, Manchester City underwent a transformation that culminated in a historic treble—winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the 2022-23 season.

Manchester City's problems began in 2018 when German magazine Der Spiegel's investigation revealed potential financial breaches, citing leaked internal documents that indicated violations between 2008 and 2018.

Manchester City has consistently denied the accusations. In 2023, the Premier League subsequently charged Manchester City with providing false financial information, with some allegations involving player and manager payments.

Additionally, Manchester City was accused of breaching 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 subsequently overturned this sanction. CAS ruled that some alleged violations were too old to be sanctioned, while others were not sufficiently proven.

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

When asked what punishment he believes Manchester City should receive, Pochettino reiterated his frustration with the entire situation.

"Whatever punishment is ultimately chosen, it cannot turn back time," he said. "The damage has already been done, and it far exceeds what the rules themselves can measure. Ultimately, many clubs followed the rules, and some clubs did not."

"Perhaps they thought back then that punishment wouldn't come for many years—so what can be done? Financial fines? Point deductions? That's really difficult to address."

"It's sad," Pochettino continued. "It's a profound sadness. Ultimately, we're now in a situation where things that were celebrated in the past may not have been so legitimate, things that looked good may not have been so good, and things that looked bad may have actually been good initially but can't truly become good because of everything that happened later."

"Ultimately, we lived through a period when sporting integrity did not exist. So if these 114 violations are ultimately confirmed, how can we compensate for all the damage caused? We lived through a period of deception."

Last week, Pochettino also discussed Chelsea's punishment from the Premier League. Chelsea was also found guilty of similar, though significantly smaller-scale, violations.

In the 2016-17 season, Chelsea won the Premier League while Pochettino's Tottenham finished second. Chelsea was later fined heavily by the Premier League for undisclosed payments to players, managers, and associated parties, and received a nine-month transfer ban on youth players.

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

"They were punished and they admitted the violations, so that's the end of it? The title should belong to the team that finished second... The truth is we weren't competing under the same rules."

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

Pochettino also said: "If the same rules had been in place back then, perhaps we could have signed several players to strengthen the team or scored more goals."

"I'm not complaining, it's a fact. If they admit they broke the rules, then the Premier League title should belong to the team that finished second."

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

Переведено ИИ.

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