Chelsea were fined 10 million pounds in July and handed a suspended two-window transfer ban after admitting to 74 breaches of Football Association rules involving agents, intermediaries and third-party investment in players.

The breaches related to several transfers, including deals for Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic. All four played important roles as Antonio Conte's Chelsea won the Premier League in 2016/17.

Tottenham finished second that season, seven points behind Chelsea, and Pochettino believes his former club should now be recognised as champions.

"We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it," Pochettino said.

"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."

Pochettino argued that Tottenham were competing under different circumstances because they did not have the same opportunity to operate outside the rules.

"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," he said.

"Maybe with the same rules, we could've signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals."

The former Tottenham and Chelsea manager, who now coaches the United States, said he would take the same position if the situation had involved his own former club.

"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.'"

Pochettino stressed that his argument was not intended to take anything away from Conte or Chelsea's performances on the pitch.

"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," he said.

"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.

"What is being promoted and incentivised is to break the rules."

Pochettino has since gone on to manage Chelsea, taking charge during the 2023/24 season, but remains convinced that sporting competitions must be governed by the same rules for every club.

"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," he said.

"For everyone it needs to be the same rules. And then you have the capacity to create the best team."

Pochettino remains in charge of the United States after signing a contract extension that will keep him in the role until the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

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