United States manager Mauricio Pochettino said Monday that it was "very difficult" to know what punishment Manchester City should receive for breaking the Premier League's financial fair play rules -- and severely damaging the competition.
Pochettino, who managed in the Premier League for eight seasons with the likes of Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea, added: "We have lived through a period where sporting justice did not exist."
Last week, an ESPN source said Manchester City was found guilty in 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. In that time, City claimed three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and three League Cups. One of those league titles came during the 2017-18 season when Pochettino led Spurs to a third place finish.
The prior season, Spurs finished second to Chelsea, who were also found to have breached the league's financial regulations.
Ahead of Tuesday's match between the USMNT and Chile, Pochettino was asked his opinion on the Manchester City charges and what would be a fair punishment.
"It's very difficult when out of 115 charges you are found guilty of 114 to know what the punishment should be to make it fair. Because there are other clubs like Nottingham Forest or Everton that broke rules and received different sanctions, whether point deductions or fines," Pochettino said through a translator. "It's a very difficult situation that causes astonishment given the magnitude of the verdict. And it's also fair to ask where the controls were for the rules to be broken like that. That's what catches my attention the most."
Pochettino recalled that during his time at Tottenham, the club was building a new stadium and for a spell had no financial room to sign players. He said he thought that Spurs was the only team in Premier League history to go 18 months without being able to make a signing.
"That was a big disadvantage because we were fighting among the best teams and reaching a Champions League final [in 2019]," the U.S. coach said. "Why were those controls so strict with us and not as much with others? That's why I say everything is very strange, and the problem is that everything gets clouded. If it's true that they broke 114 rules, we have lived through a period of deceit. No type of punishment will make it possible to repair what was done, and the Premier League's controls are severely damaged."
City's run during that period coincided with some iconic moments, including Sergio Aguero's stoppage-time strike against Queens Park Rangers on the last day of the 2011-12 season that enabled City to claim a first top-flight crown since 1968. Now the legitimacy of those moments has been cast into doubt.
"It's a very sad situation because what was already achieved and celebrated maybe wasn't real, and what wasn't so good could have been better," he said. "We have lived through a period where sporting justice did not exist. If the charges are proven, it's very difficult to repair what happened. I hope that at least it serves to ensure equality exists in the future.
"I said at the time regarding Chelsea's situation when we fought for the title with them while I was at Tottenham, that they were better because they got more points, but by breaking rules. How do you repair that?"
Following the USMNT's friendly with Chile on Tuesday, it will play two more matches -- against Mexico and Canada -- in the September/October international window.