Harry Redknapp claims Tottenham were cheated by Manchester City charges but warns against point deductions
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has expressed his frustration regarding the legal situation surrounding Manchester City, stating that his former team was effectively "cheated" out of Champions League qualification during his tenure. Despite his grievances, the veteran coach cautioned that attempting to rewrite football history through retrospective point deductions would be a mistake for the sport.
The impact of missed Champions League qualification
Redknapp reflected on the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons, a period during which Tottenham was a consistent contender for the top four. In both campaigns, Spurs finished just one position away from securing a place in Europe’s elite competition. The manager noted that a pivotal 1-0 defeat to Roberto Mancini’s City side in May 2011 directly ended their European dreams while launching City’s rise.
The following year, the situation was even more agonizing. Although Spurs finished fourth, they were denied a Champions League spot because Chelsea won the competition, taking the final English slot. Redknapp argues that if the rules were not being followed at the Etihad Stadium during those years, the trajectory of Tottenham could have been fundamentally altered by the massive revenue and prestige associated with the tournament.
A can of worms for the Premier League
While acknowledging the sense of injustice felt by fans and staff alike, Redknapp is firmly against the idea of stripping titles or deducting points from past seasons. He described the prospect of altering finalized league tables as opening a "can of worms" that could destabilize the entire professional structure of the Premier League.
The manager pointed out that the impact of such changes would reach far beyond the top of the table. Clubs that were relegated by narrow margins during those seasons would likely seek legal recourse, arguing that their results against City—or the points tallies of their rivals—should be retrospectively adjusted. Redknapp believes that while the process has already been damaging, looking backward would cause "incredible damage" to a league that remains the envy of the world.
Competing against unlimited financial resources
Redknapp remains proud of how his Tottenham side competed during an era dominated by the massive spending of Manchester City and Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea. He emphasized that Spurs operated on a significantly different budget, relying on hard work on the training ground rather than what he described as "a huge sack of cash."
The veteran coach highlighted the difficulty of competing in the transfer market, noting that many clubs were unable to match the wages offered by City. He cited the example of Emmanuel Adebayor, who joined Spurs from City but reportedly earned only a fraction of his previous Manchester salary. Redknapp concluded that while the punishment for any proven breaches should be severe, it must focus on the future rather than attempting to fix the past.