Pochettino: No Punishment Can Repair Manchester City's Damage

United States men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino said Monday it is "very difficult" to know what punishment fits Manchester City after the club was found guilty on 114 of 115 financial charges brought by the Premier League, according to ESPN.

Speaking ahead of the USMNT's Tuesday match against Chile, Pochettino did not name a preferred sanction. He instead framed the case as a breach of trust in the competition itself, telling reporters the league had operated for years without functioning oversight. "We have lived through a period where sporting justice did not exist," he said, per ESPN.

What did Pochettino say about Manchester City's punishment?

Pochettino managed in the Premier League for seven seasons, with spells at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, giving him a direct competitive stake in the years now under scrutiny. He stopped short of prescribing a specific penalty for City, saying only that identifying an adequate one is difficult given the scale of the findings. His comments mark one of the more pointed reactions from a manager who competed against City during the period covered by the charges, though he was speaking in his current capacity as USMNT head coach rather than as a Premier League figure.

What are the 115 charges against Manchester City?

An ESPN source reported last week that Manchester City were found guilty in 114 of 115 charges tied to breaches of Premier League financial regulations covering 2009 through 2018. During that stretch, City won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups, according to ESPN. The Premier League has not yet announced a sanction, and ESPN's reporting does not specify a timeline for one.

By the Numbers

• 114 of 115 charges upheld against Manchester City, per an ESPN source
• 2009–2018 the period covered by the alleged financial regulation breaches
• 3 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup and 3 League Cups won by City in that span, per ESPN

How does the case connect to Pochettino's Tottenham years?

One of City's Premier League titles came in the 2017-18 season, when Pochettino's Tottenham side finished third. The prior season, Spurs finished second behind Chelsea, a club also found to have breached the league's financial regulations, according to ESPN. That gives Pochettino a personal frame of reference: two of the seasons now under the league's scrutiny were ones in which his own team competed directly against clubs later found to have broken the rules governing spending and disclosure.

"We have lived through a period where sporting justice did not exist." — Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT manager

What happens next for Manchester City?

ESPN's reporting does not detail what sanction the Premier League is considering or when a decision might be announced. Separate ESPN analysis referenced alongside the story — including a breakdown of the 115 charges and commentary describing the episode as leaving a lasting mark on the league — underscores that the case remains unresolved as a disciplinary matter even after the guilty findings were reported. Pochettino's remarks reflect that uncertainty rather than resolve it: he said determining a fitting punishment is difficult precisely because of how many charges were upheld and how long the alleged conduct continued.

Timeline: How the Manchester City case unfolded

• 2009–2018: Period covered by the financial regulation breaches Manchester City was charged with, per ESPN.
• 2016-17 season: Tottenham finishes second in the Premier League behind Chelsea, a club also found to have breached financial regulations.
• 2017-18 season: Manchester City wins the Premier League title; Pochettino's Tottenham finishes third.
• Week of Sept. 21, 2026: An ESPN source reports Manchester City found guilty on 114 of 115 financial charges.
• Sept. 28, 2026: Pochettino comments on the case ahead of the USMNT's match against Chile.
• Sept. 29, 2026 (Tuesday): USMNT faces Chile, the match where Pochettino's remarks were made public.

The Premier League has not stated when it will decide on a punishment, leaving open how — or whether — the findings against Manchester City will be reflected in any outcome from the period in question.