Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea should be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title over financial rule breaches, with the trophy instead awarded to his Spurs side that finished runners-up.
Chelsea were fined £10 million ($13.4 million) in July and handed a suspended two-window transfer ban relating to breaches of Premier League rules during Roman Abramovich's ownership.
The club admitted 74 breaches of FA regulations involving agents, intermediaries and third-party investment in players.
Chelsea's current owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, self-reported the breaches to football authorities in 2022 while completing their takeover from Russian billionaire Abramovich.
The breaches involved deals that brought Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic to Stamford Bridge. All four players later played important roles in Chelsea's 2016-17 title-winning campaign under Antonio Conte.
Pochettino's Tottenham side finished seven points behind Chelsea that season, and the Argentine believes the punishment imposed on the London club did not go far enough.
"We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it," Pochettino told reporters.
The former Spurs boss argued that if Chelsea admitted breaking the rules, Tottenham deserved to be recognised as champions because the two clubs were not competing under equal conditions.
Pochettino suggested Tottenham might have strengthened their squad differently had they operated under the same circumstances, potentially improving their chances of winning the title.
The 54-year-old, who later managed Chelsea during the 2023-24 season, insisted his position was based on sporting fairness rather than his history with either London club.
"I have no doubt and I'm not scared to say the truth," he said, adding that he would hold the same position if Tottenham had been found guilty of breaking the rules.
Pochettino compared the situation to teams competing under different versions of fundamental rules such as offside or VAR, arguing that every club must operate under the same regulations for a competition to remain fair.
He also stressed that his criticism was not aimed at Conte or Chelsea's performances during their title-winning campaign.
"I don't say that Chelsea didn't play well, that Conte was not great," Pochettino said. "But if you broke the rules then ciao, you need to give it to another team."
Pochettino warned that failing to impose stronger sporting consequences could create the wrong incentive for clubs, claiming the current approach effectively encourages teams to break regulations.
The Argentine currently manages the United States national team, having led the USA at the World Cup. Last month, he signed a contract extension that will keep him in charge through the 2030 World Cup.
