Pochettino calls Manchester City case a ‘period of deception’ and questions how harm can be repaired

Mauricio Pochettino said on 29 September 2026 that Manchester City’s Premier League financial-rules case had left damage that could not be undone, after reports that the club had been found guilty of most charges against it. The former Tottenham manager called the period a ‘period of deception’ and questioned how clubs that competed under the rules could be compensated. Sanctions have yet to be announced, and City plans to appeal, according to BBC Sport.

‘Whatever punishment [they choose], it’s impossible to turn back time,’ Pochettino told BBC Sport. He said the case had done ‘a lot of damage’ and argued that some clubs had followed the rules while others had not. His assessment of the effect on sporting fairness is his view; the eventual sanction, and whether City succeeds in an appeal, remain unresolved.

Why Pochettino says the damage cannot be reversed

Pochettino described the difficulty of reassessing past results years after teams played the matches. What was celebrated at the time, he said, might now be viewed differently. He asked how the sport could repair what he considered lost fairness, while qualifying part of his criticism with ‘if it’s true’ when referring to the reported rule breaches. His remarks do not establish the outcome of any individual match or season.

His concern comes from years spent competing in the Premier League. BBC Sport said Pochettino managed Southampton, Tottenham for five years and Chelsea for one season during periods covered by the charges. He recalled Tottenham going 18 months without a transfer while the club adjusted to financial constraints, even as it competed near the top of the league. He contrasted that experience with what he saw as leniency toward others.

What has been reported about Manchester City’s case

BBC Sport reported that City had been found guilty of the majority of the Premier League charges. It said the financial allegations concerned the seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, with separate allegations of failure to cooperate covering December 2018 to February 2023. The Guardian also reported that City had been found guilty of the vast majority of charges, though its September 25 report said neither party would publicly confirm the outcome at that point.

The two reports use different totals for the charge sheet: BBC Sport refers to 115 charges, while the Guardian refers to 134 charges spanning seasons through 2022-23. The retained reports do not reconcile those counts. The distinction matters because a total for all alleged breaches should not be treated as the number of financial breaches during the nine-season period described by the BBC.

The Guardian said the case included questions about whether City had provided accurate financial information, disclosed material requested by the league and supplied full details of payments to players and managers. It reported that the Premier League’s inquiry began in December 2018, charges followed in February 2023 and the disciplinary hearings started in September 2024. The scope and length of that process help explain why Pochettino says a later decision cannot restore the seasons already played.

City’s response and the unresolved sanctions

City has maintained its position while the process continues. In a statement quoted by the Guardian, a club spokesperson said the Premier League process had ‘significant elements to be completed’ and remained subject to confidentiality. The spokesperson said City had respected due process and expected an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator. The Guardian said the Premier League declined to comment at the time because of the case’s confidentiality.

No sanction had been announced when BBC Sport published Pochettino’s remarks, and the broadcaster reported that City planned to appeal. The Guardian described possible sanctions under league rules, including a fine, points deduction, suspension or expulsion, but none was an announced outcome. Any decision about titles or league position therefore remains separate from the reported finding on the charges.

Rival views on retrospective titles

Pochettino has previously taken a different position on another historical case, according to BBC Sport: he said Chelsea should lose the 2016-17 Premier League title and that it should be awarded to his Tottenham side, which finished second. In the City case, the question of transferring titles has also divided former opponents. His present remarks concentrate on the wider difficulty of undoing competitive effects after the fact.

Wayne Rooney, whose Manchester United side finished second to City in 2011-12, told BBC Sport he would not feel comfortable accepting a retrospective Premier League medal. He said United had not done enough on the pitch to win that season. His response shows why stripping a title and awarding it to a runner-up are distinct questions, even for players directly affected by a past league table.

For Pochettino, the outstanding issue is whether any sanction can address years in which clubs made decisions and competed under the rules as they understood them. The findings reported by the BBC and Guardian establish the immediate context for his comments. The appeal and sanction process will determine what formal consequences City faces; Pochettino’s description of a ‘period of deception’ remains his own judgment about the case’s effect on football.