Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States national team and former manager of Tottenham and Chelsea, has opened fire on Manchester City's case relating to 115 financial breaches, stunned by both its scale and the way the Premier League deals with clubs that break the rules.
His comments follow English press reports that Manchester City had been found guilty of 114 out of 115 financial breaches allegedly committed between 2009 and 2018, a case still tied up in dispute and legal proceedings.
The Argentine coach said: "It is extremely difficult to determine a fair punishment when someone is found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges. Other clubs, such as Nottingham Forest and Everton, broke the rules and received different punishments, whether through points deductions or financial fines."
Speaking to the website "Foot Mercato", he added: "It is a very delicate situation and a surprising one, given the verdict. It is legitimate to question the controls that allowed such breaches to happen, and that is what astonishes me most."
Pochettino then cast his mind back to Tottenham, and the punishments and restrictions the club faced under him. Chief among them was an 18-month transfer ban.
He explained: "Why were the controls so strict with us and lenient with others? That is why I say that everything is extremely strange, and the problem is that things have become murky."
He signed off: "If it is true that they broke 114 rules, then we have been through a period of deception. No punishment can repair the damage, and the Premier League's oversight system is badly broken."