Mauricio Pochettino says Premier League lived through 'period of deception' if Man City found guilty
Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino says the Premier League 'lived through a period of deception' if Manchester City breached financial rules. Reports last Friday said an independent tribunal has reached decisions in Manchester City's 115-charge case, with Sky Sports News understanding the process is moving to the appeal stage.
- Headline claim: Pochettino says if the charges are proven, it amounts to a period of deception
- Case status: Independent tribunal has reached decisions on Man City's 115 charges, per reports last Friday
- Next stage: Sky Sports News understands the process is moving to the appeal stage
- Pulis reaction: Tony Pulis says he feels cheated and asks when Stoke get their FA Cup
- Ferdinand call: Rio Ferdinand backs a petition for Pulis to get an FA Cup winners' medal
- Compensation talk: Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol believes Premier League clubs could seek compensation if charges are proven
What was said
"At the end of the day, we went through something where sporting fairness didn't exist, so how do you repair everything that was damaged because of that?"
"If it's true…we've lived through a period of deception."
"Whatever punishment, it's impossible to turn back time."
"It's done a lot of damage. At the end of the day, many clubs followed the rules and some didn't."
"When do we get our FA Cup?"
"That is what all Stoke City fans have been asking me since the news broke on Friday that Manchester City had been found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they have been accused of breaching."
"I thought exactly the same. While the process is far from over because Manchester City are expected to appeal, I have to say this verdict and the whole situation has left a very sour taste in my mouth."
"I don't seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either. A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely."
"But I still feel cheated. Whatever happens next, we won't ever get that day back and the chance to celebrate around Stoke-on-Trent with the cup and medals we so honestly fought for."
"Let's start petition to get Tony Pulis is [sic] FA Cup Winners Medal!"
Pochettino's language is the most pointed yet from a manager who competed directly against the Manchester City side of the 2010s. He frames the issue not as a technical rules breach but as a moral one: if the charges are proven, the integrity of the competition itself is called into question. His insistence that no punishment can repair the damage speaks to a wider frustration among clubs who believe they were playing by a different rulebook.
Pulis takes that argument to its logical conclusion, demanding the FA Cup Stoke lost to Manchester City in 2011. His column, published by BBC Sport, is a direct emotional appeal on behalf of a club that has no route to retrospective silverware. Ferdinand's intervention — calling for a petition — shows the debate has moved beyond boardrooms into ex-players and supporters.
The numbers
- 115: the number of financial rules Manchester City have been accused of breaching
- Majority: Pulis states Manchester City have been found guilty of breaking the majority of those 115 rules
- 2009 to 2018: the period over which the charges are said to relate
- 2011: the year Manchester City beat Stoke City in the FA Cup final
- 35 years: how long Manchester City had waited for a major trophy before that 2011 FA Cup win
Why Pochettino's 'deception' claim carries weight
Pochettino is not a neutral voice. He managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea during the period in question, and he is describing the competitive landscape as he experienced it. His point is that if Manchester City's success was built on financial advantages that breached the rules, then every club that finished below them — including his Tottenham side that pushed for titles — was competing in a distorted league. That is a claim about sporting fairness, not about paperwork.
Pochettino also makes the distinction between punishing the offence and repairing the harm: "Whatever punishment, it's impossible to turn back time." That is the emotional core of the story. A points deduction or a fine would change Manchester City's future, but it cannot restore the trophies or Champions League places that other clubs believe they were denied. Pulis's FA Cup demand is the same argument in concrete form.
The appeal stage matters because it delays any final resolution. Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reaffirmed his belief that the club will prove their innocence, and chief executive Ferran Soriano told fellow club chiefs that the legal fight could take years to conclude. Until that process ends, the debate Pochettino and Pulis have ignited will keep running.
Talking points
- Pochettino says no punishment can turn back time — so what is the point of a points deduction if the damage is already done?
- Pulis wants the 2011 FA Cup handed to Stoke. Is retrospective trophy reassignment a realistic outcome, or pure emotion?
- If clubs could seek compensation, as Kaveh Solhekol suggests, which sides from the 2009-2018 period would have the strongest claim?
- Manchester City insist they will prove their innocence. Does the appeal process protect them, or does it prolong the reputational damage?
What happens next
The case is moving to the appeal stage, per Sky Sports News. Manchester City are expected to appeal after an independent tribunal reached decisions on the 115 charges. The Premier League must now manage a process that chief executive Ferran Soriano has said could take years, while clubs consider whether to pursue compensation if the charges are proven. For Pochettino and Pulis, the wait continues with no route to the trophies they feel were taken from them.
Frequently asked questions
What did Mauricio Pochettino say about Manchester City?
Pochettino said the Premier League 'lived through a period of deception' if Manchester City breached financial rules, adding that sporting fairness did not exist and that no punishment can turn back time.
What did Tony Pulis say about the 2011 FA Cup?
Pulis wrote in his BBC Sport column: 'When do we get our FA Cup?' and said he still feels cheated, believing a points deduction and a massive fine are more likely than trophies being handed back.
Is the Manchester City 115-charge case going to an appeal?
Yes. Reports last Friday said an independent tribunal has reached decisions, and Sky Sports News understands the process is moving to the appeal stage. Manchester City are expected to appeal.
Related Articles
Filed under: Latest News | LA Premier League Home
