Pochettino: Chelsea Should Be Stripped of 2016-17 Premier League Title

Pochettino calls for Chelsea to be stripped of 2016-17 title over secret payments

Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea should be retrospectively stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title after a Premier League investigation found the club made £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties between 2011 and 2018. Chelsea were fined by Uefa, the Premier League and the FA, but Pochettino argues that punishment was insufficient.

Claim: Pochettino says Spurs, who finished second, should have been champions if Chelsea broke rules.
Investigation: £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties (2011–2018).
Transfers involved: Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, Nemanja Matic.
Title margin: Chelsea won the 2016-17 Premier League with 93 points; Tottenham finished second on 86.
Sanctions: Chelsea fined by Uefa, the Premier League and the FA, but no points deduction.
At stake: Debate over whether financial breaches should trigger retrospective sporting sanctions.

What was said

"If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second-best team."
— Mauricio Pochettino, former Tottenham manager

Pochettino's argument is that Tottenham could have signed players of similar ability had they also ignored the rules. He is one of the first people of significance to articulate what many feel — that Chelsea got off lightly with a fine.

Fans of Everton and Nottingham Forest have pointed out that their clubs faced points deductions for relatively small profit and sustainability breaches, while Chelsea sought to sign star players with secret payments. Meanwhile, there is no sign of a verdict in the case of Manchester City's 115 charges for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.

The numbers: how Chelsea's signings shaped the 2016-17 title race

Eden Hazard: Started 36 Premier League games, scored 16 goals, provided 5 assists. Only Cesar Azpilicueta started more matches, and only Diego Costa scored more (20).
Hazard's direct impact: Scored in a 2-1 win over West Ham in August; scored and assisted in a 2-0 win over Southampton in November; scored the opener in a 2-1 win over West Ham in March; scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Manchester City in April. Worth up to 10 points.
Willian: 34 appearances (19 from bench), 8 goals, 8 assists. Assisted in a 1-0 win at Sunderland in December; scored twice in a 4-2 win over Stoke in December; scored the first in a 2-1 win over Stoke in March; assisted the winner in a 4-3 win over Watford in May. Helped Chelsea take eight points from those fixtures.
Nemanja Matic: Played 35 league games (30 starts), 1 goal, 7 assists. Only one attacking contribution influenced a result — an assist for Chelsea's first goal in a 2-1 win over Tottenham in November.
David Luiz: Started 33 matches, scored one goal — the opener in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in January. Named in the PFA team of the season.
Secret payments: £5.6m to an unregistered agent for Hazard's transfer; £19.2m to two unregistered entities for Willian and Eto'o; £5.1m between 2012 and 2015 for talent identification services linked to Ramires, Luiz, Schurrle and Matic.
Title race: Chelsea won 11 of their last 13 to finish on 93 points; Tottenham won 12 of their final 13 to finish on 86. Spurs' 86 points would have won the title only twice since 1999-2000, including the two most recent seasons.

Analysis: Would Tottenham have won the title without Chelsea's breaches?

Pochettino's claim rests on the idea that Chelsea gained a sporting advantage through secret payments that allowed them to sign Eden Hazard and Willian ahead of rivals. Hazard was the poster boy for Chelsea's breaches — signed from Lille for £32m in 2012, with seven payments totalling £5.6m made to an unregistered agent between May 2013 and August 2016. His 2016-17 output was considerable: 16 goals and five assists, with direct contributions in four matches worth up to 10 points.

However, Hazard was in his fifth season at the club in 2016-17 — not a new signing that summer. The direct impact of the secret payments on that specific title race is therefore indirect. The same applies to Nemanja Matic and David Luiz, who were in their second spells at Chelsea by 2016-17. The deals that took them back were not specifically referenced in the investigation, though the association was created through the earlier payments.

Willian is the most compelling case for Pochettino. Chelsea nipped in at the last minute to sign him from under the noses of Spurs in 2013, and the investigation found £19.2m in secret payments connected to his move and that of Samuel Eto'o. In 2016-17, Willian's eight goals and eight assists helped Chelsea take eight points from four matches. Without those, the title race could have been tighter.

Yet Tottenham's problem was too many draws early on — despite an unbeaten 11-game start, only five were victories. Chelsea lost more matches (five to Spurs' four) but won 30 to Tottenham's 26. The margin was seven points; even removing Hazard and Willian's direct contributions might not have closed it entirely. But the principle — that rules must mean something — is what drives Pochettino's argument.

Talking points

Should Chelsea face a points deduction or retrospective title strip for secret payments, or is a fine sufficient punishment?
Everton and Nottingham Forest fans have a point: their clubs were deducted points for smaller P&S breaches while Chelsea's secret payments went unpunished in sporting terms.
Tottenham's 86 points was a club record, but they drew too many early games — would they have won the title even with a level playing field?
The Manchester City 115-charge case remains unresolved — does the delay undermine confidence in the Premier League's disciplinary process?

What do Tottenham fans think?

Many Spurs supporters share Pochettino's view. Chris Paouros, co-founder and co-chair of Proud Lilywhites and Women of The Lane, said: "Of course I do. He could tell me the moon was made of halloumi and I'd nod along. The Spurs 2016-17 team was the best in the league by most measures: best attack, best defence, fewest defeats, unbeaten at home in the last season of the old White Hart Lane. If the playing field was tilted, the least you can do is ask the question."

Paouros knows Spurs will not be handed the title, but said the "rules have to mean something, whoever benefits".

What happens next

Chelsea have already been fined by Uefa, the Premier League and the FA, but the debate over retrospective sanctions is unlikely to fade — especially with Manchester City's 115 charges still unresolved. Tottenham's focus will remain on the current season, but the 2016-17 title will always carry an asterisk for some. The Premier League has yet to indicate whether further action is possible.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Pochettino think Chelsea should be stripped of the 2016-17 title?

He believes Chelsea broke rules with secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties, giving them an unfair advantage in signing players like Eden Hazard and Willian, and that a fine was insufficient punishment.