Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has sparked controversy by demanding that Chelsea be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title, with the honour going to his Spurs side that finished as runners-up that season.

The call comes after Chelsea were handed a £10 million fine in July and received a suspended two-window transfer ban for breaking Premier League financial regulations during Roman Abramovich's ownership. The London club acknowledged 74 violations of FA rules related to agents, intermediaries and third-party player investments.

Current owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital voluntarily disclosed these infractions to football authorities in 2022 while acquiring the club from the Russian billionaire. The violations involved transfers of key players including Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic to Stamford Bridge, all of whom played crucial roles in Antonio Conte's title-winning campaign.

Pochettino's Tottenham side finished seven points adrift of Chelsea that season. Speaking to reporters, he argued that the punishment imposed on Chelsea was insufficient. "We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it," the Argentine stated. "If that was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished, they admitted it? So that's it. The title should be for the team that was second."

The former manager emphasised the competitive imbalance created by the rule breaches. "We can say that they scored goals, they won games. OK. But it's completely fair to say that we didn't compete before the start of the season with the same card," Pochettino explained. "Maybe with the same rules, we could've signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals."

Despite managing Chelsea himself during the 2023-24 season, Pochettino stood firm on his position. "I have no doubt, and I'm not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me, but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I'd admit the same: 'We don't deserve the title because we broke the rules," he declared.

He illustrated his point with a compelling analogy. "It's impossible if only some clubs play with offside and another plays with no offside. Or one plays with VAR and another plays with no VAR. For everyone it needs to be the same rules. And then you have the capacity to create the best team."

Pochettino was careful to clarify that his criticism was not directed at Conte's management or Chelsea's on-field performance. "I don't say that Chelsea didn't play well, that Conte was not great. I don't say that. I don't want the message to be twisted. But if you broke the rules, then ciao, you need to give it to another team. I don't know why that didn't happen."

He concluded by suggesting that the current approach to punishment might actually encourage rule-breaking. "What is being promoted and incentivised is to break the rules," Pochettino stated.

The manager currently leads the USA national team and recently extended his contract to remain in charge through the 2030 World Cup.