Mauricio Pochettino recently called for Chelsea to be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title, and precedent does exist for Tottenham Hotspur to receive the trophy belatedly.
Pochettino, who coached both Chelsea and Spurs prior to his appointment with the USMNT, has called for the Blues to be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title, which they won with 93 points.
That title arrived under Antonio Conte, with Poch’s Spurs in second on 86 points. If Chelsea were to be stripped of their crown, precedent does exist for the North London club to receive it — but that outcome is far from certain.
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Could Tottenham actually be awarded Chelsea's 2017 Premier League title?
Pochettino recently claimed that Tottenham Hotspur “didn’t compete with the same rules” as Chelsea, after the Blues admitted to making £47 million in undisclosed payments between 2011 and 2018.
However, it remains unlikely that Spurs will receive a redistributed Premier League trophy, as the case against Chelsea to be stripped of their title is weak.
At the time, the Premier League did not impose a sporting sanction on Chelsea, rather their punishment was enforced financially, and through transfer bans.
In July, the club was fined £10 million, and given a suspended two-window transfer ban, for breaching rules related to agent payments between 2009 and 2022.
The English top-flight recalculated Chelsea’s accounts from the time, and determined that the undisclosed payments in question would not have caused a PSR breach.
And while the now-concluded disciplinary decision could be reopened, it remains unlikely, with Chelsea’s punishments having already been imposed.
And if the Blues were stripped of their title, there is no guarantee that Tottenham Hotspur would automatically inherit the Premier League trophy — precedent exists in both their favour, and against it.
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What happened when football titles have previously been stripped from clubs?
The precedent in question was established in the Italian top-flight, as Serie A titles were stripped from Juventus in 2004-05 and 2005-06 amid doping allegations.
That scandal, an infamously dark moment in Italian football history, spiralled from doping accusations, to an investigation into match-fixing agreements held between Juventus staff and Serie A officials.
Among the offences were Juventus match-assigned referees being favourable to the Serie A champions, pressuring officials to make decisions that benefited the Old Lady, and issuing punishments that rendered opposition players unable to face Fabio Capello’s side.
As a result, Juventus were stripped of two successive Serie A titles, but the decisions did not align. For 2004-05, the trophy remained unassigned, while in 2005-06, the honour was redistributed to Inter.
Therefore, the Serie A’s established precedent makes it unclear as to whether Spurs would see the Premier League trophy passed to them from Chelsea — the likelihood being a coin flip.
Pochettino believes any outcome barring Tottenham Hotspur receiving the title would be incorrect, stating: “We should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it.
"[Chelsea] were punished, they admitted, so that's it? The title should be for the team that was second. It's not me complaining. It's the truth. If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second best team.
"I'm not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me because I'm saying this, but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules I'd admit the same,” concluded the 54-year-old.
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Time will tell whether Pochettino’s wish will come true, but even if Chelsea’s case was to be re-opened, Spurs receiving the 2016-17 Premier League title is anything but a certainty.