Pochettino argues Chelsea's 2016‑17 title should be handed to Spurs

A stark Getty Images photograph captures Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side collapsing to a 4‑2 defeat against Chelsea in the 2016‑17 FA Cup semi‑final, a match that still fuels his claim that the Blues should be stripped of that season’s Premier League crown.

Financial penalties and breaches

Chelsea were fined £10.75m in March after the Premier League charged the club with historical breaches of competition rules. The Blues also admitted making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third‑parties between 2011 and 2018.

Owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital self‑reported 74 breaches of Football Association rules when they bought the club in 2022, and a six‑point deduction was “set aside” on appeal.

League standings and the contested title

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea finished seven points clear of Pochettino’s Spurs in 2016‑17, leaving Tottenham as runners‑up in the Premier League.

“We should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it,” the Argentine insisted, adding that Chelsea’s punishment does not erase the fact that Spurs finished second.

Pochettino, who managed Spurs from 2014 to 2019, guided the team to the 2019 Champions League final but never secured a trophy, with the 2017 second‑place finish his highest league achievement.

He warned that, had the same rules applied, Tottenham might have signed players who could have turned matches in their favour, and he reiterated, “It’s not me complaining. It’s the truth. If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second‑best team.”

The Image caption notes the 4‑2 loss, underscoring why Pochettino believes the title belongs to his Spurs side rather than the penalised Chelsea side.