Mauricio Pochettino has said Manchester City’s guilty verdict in the Premier League’s financial case has left rival clubs wondering what punishment fits. Speaking in a Guardian interview, the United States head coach described the period as one where sporting justice did not exist and asked where the controls were.

The former Tottenham manager recalled how Spurs built a stadium and went 18 months without a transfer while still competing at the top, asking what the cost had been to those who followed the rules. City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges relating to financial breaches between 2009 and 2018, with sanctions still to be decided and an appeal expected.

Pochettino said it was very difficult to know what a fair outcome would look like, and he pointed to the punishments previously handed to Nottingham Forest and Everton as reference points. His comments add another voice to the debate over whether football’s financial rules can deliver meaningful justice.