The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-28 · by Pablo Iglesias Maurer in St Louis, Missouri
US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed dismay at news of Manchester City being found guilty of widespread financial improprieties on Monday, saying that fans “lived through a period of deception” because of City’s rule breaches.
asserted
fans → express → breaches
The Guardian and other outlets have reported that Manchester City have been found guilty by the Premier League of violating the vast majority of 115 different charges concerning violations of financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
asserted
City → report → 2009
He also took charge of Chelsea for a single season in 2023-24.
asserted
He → take → 2023
“Where were the controls?” Pochettino said in Spanish, when asked by the Guardian for his thoughts on the guilty verdicts.
asserted
Pochettino → say → verdicts
“That’s what gets my attention.
asserted
what → ’ → attention
“If I remember being at Southampton, then Tottenham – I remember building [the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] and not having the economic possibility of a transfer for 18 months.
asserted
I → remember → months
I think we were the only team in the history of the Premier League with 18 months without [making a transfer].
asserted
we → think → transfer
“If a team like us, Tottenham, was fighting for titles with those above us and every year in the top four, getting to the semi-finals of Champions League without being able to do a transfer for 18 months, all because we needed to get used to the [Premier League financial controls]?
asserted
we → fight → controls
Because of that, that’s why I say: it’s all very strange.”
asserted
it → ’ → that
Manchester City’s issues started when a 2018 investigation by German paper Der Spiegel showed potential financial improprieties, citing leaked internal documents, outlining a host of potential violations occurring over a 10-year span between 2008 and 2018.
asserted
investigation → start → 2008
City – who have always denied the allegations – were subsequently charged by the Premier League in 2023 of falsifying details of their finances, with some of those issues centering around payments to players and coaches.
asserted
some → deny → players
They have also been accused of violating Uefa’s financial fair play regulations, and the Premier League’s own profit and sustainability rules (PSRs).
asserted
They → accuse → regulations
Uefa made an attempt at disciplining City in 2020, banning the club from Uefa-sanctioned competition like the Champions League and fining them €30m.
asserted
Uefa → make → 30
That punishment was later overturned by the court for arbitration of sport; some of the violations, they said, occurred too long ago to be punished and others weren’t adequately proven.
asserted
others → overturn → violations
City are widely expected to appeal against the Premier League’s verdicts in the next two weeks and the ensuing legal proceedings could drag out for an extended period.
uncertain
proceedings → expect → period
When asked what he feels a potential punishment should be, Pochettino again expressed his disappointment at the overall situation.
asserted
Pochettino → ask → situation
“Whatever punishment [they choose], it’s impossible to turn back time,” he said.
asserted
he → choose → time
“It’s done a lot of damage, more than anything the guidelines.
asserted
It → do → anything
At the end of the day many clubs followed the rules and some didn’t.
asserted
some → follow → rules
Maybe they thought that the punishment [wouldn’t come for a lot of years] – what are they going to do?
asserted
they → think → what
It’s really hard.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
“It’s sad,” Pochettino continued.
asserted
Pochettino → ’ → ?
At the end of the day we get into a situation where what got celebrated wasn’t that real, what seemed good maybe wasn’t so good, what didn’t look good maybe was good but couldn’t be good because of what happened.
asserted
what → get → situation
At the end of the day, we went through something where sporting fairness didn’t exist.
asserted
fairness → go → something
So, how do you repair everything that was damaged because of that, if it’s true all of the 114 rules that were broken, we’ve lived through a period of deception.
asserted
we → repair → deception
Last week, Pochettino offered his thoughts on the punishment handed down to Chelsea, who were found guilty of similar violations on a much smaller scale.
asserted
who → offer → scale
Chelsea were Premier League champions in 2016-17, with Pochettino’s Spurs finishing in second place.
asserted
Spurs → finish → place
The club was later fined heavily by the Premier League for undisclosed payments to players, coaches and other involved parties.
asserted
club → fin → players
The club was also hit with a nine-month academy transfer ban.
asserted
club → hit → ban
“We should win one title, one Premier League,” Pochettino told UK-based media last week.
asserted
Pochettino → win → media
“They were punished, they admitted, so that’s it?
asserted
that → punish → ?
It’s true that we didn’t compete with the same rules.
asserted
we → ’ → rules
OK, now we can say that they scored goals, they won games, and like this.
asserted
they → say → this
OK, that’s it, but it’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card.
asserted
we → ’ → card
“Maybe with the same rules, if we apply the same things, maybe we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals,” said Pochettino.
uncertain
Pochettino → apply → goals
“It’s not me complaining.
asserted
me → ’ → ?
It’s the truth.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second best team.”
asserted
title → admit → team
After the match with Chile, the US will face Mexico on 3 October and Canada on 6 October in Phoenix, Arizona and St Paul, Minnesota, respectively.
asserted
US → face → Phoenix
The Aporia
