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Pochettino Laments 'Deception' in Man City Verdict
Developing
In Short: Manchester City has always denied wrongdoing, and its chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, continued to protest the club's innocence even after reports of the verdict surfaced.
Former Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed sadness over reports that Manchester City has been found guilty of nearly all charges related to financial breaches in English soccer.
Pochettino, speaking Monday, said, "If it’s true that the 114 rules were broken, then we lived through a period of deception." He was referring to the period between 2009 and 2018 when City allegedly violated Premier League financial regulations.
During this time, Pochettino managed Tottenham, which operated on a tighter budget compared to its rivals. Despite this, Tottenham reached the Champions League final in 2019.
Pochettino had previously called for Chelsea to be stripped of the 2016-17 Premier League title due to 74 breaches of Football Association regulations. He emphasized that some clubs followed the rules while others did not.
Manchester City has always denied wrongdoing, and its chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, continued to protest the club's innocence even after reports of the verdict surfaced.
Tottenham finished third in the 2017-18 season, the same year City won the Premier League title, while Chelsea won the 2016-17 Premier League by a seven-point margin over Tottenham.
What this adds
The Premier League has not officially confirmed the verdict, which was reportedly passed down by an independent commission following a long-running case.
Background
Manchester City has been found guilty of 114 of 115 charges related to breaching Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, according to reports. Neither City nor the Premier League deny the verdict of the independent panel.
What's still developing
- The Premier League has yet to officially confirm the verdict that, according to several media outlets, has been passed down by an independent commission following a long-running case.
- The alleged rule-breaking by City took place between 2009-18, during which period Pochettino was manager of Tottenham and turned the London team into a challenger for titles in English soccer despite operating on a relatively small budget.