Spurs were 4-0 down inside the opening 25 minutes of Champions League last-16 showdown
Tottenham players applaud the travelling support after defeat to Atletico Madrid
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Sam Tabuteau
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Igor Tudor has appeared to suggest that there are no plans to refund travelling supporters after Tottenham’s 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) released a statement hours after the defeat, in which Spurs found themselves 4-0 down inside 22 minutes, calling for “emergency action” and asking the club to refund the match tickets for each supporter who travelled to Madrid to watch the game.
“Tonight’s performance and result is a total disgrace. It’s symptomatic of the abysmal state of things at Spurs right now,” the statement read.
“From the January transfer window to the management appointments, the lack of leadership and the total absence of anyone with a Spurs pedigree informing these decisions. Where is the Daring to Do? Where are the Echoes of Glory?
“Emergency action is needed as right now we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff. Being a Spurs fan has never been so difficult but supporters will not sit by and watch the club continue to decline.
“At the very least those in Madrid should have their match tickets refunded. But all we really care about is that the club make us proud. We are here to support the team and be the 12th man. But we all deserve so much more.”
Igor Tudor was powerless to stop Tottenham falling to defeat in Madrid
Bradley Collyer/PA Wire
Tudor, who is the first Spurs manager to lose each of his first four games in charge, was asked about the THST’s request, and while he said it was an issue for the club, he went on to question the direction football was heading if the club felt obliged to refund supporters.
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“Two things, first thing, this is an issue for the club. Manchester City lose 3-0, Chelsea lose 5-2, every Sunday there are big defeats and every time you need to refund the money so where will football be going?,” Tudor stated defiantly in his pre-match press conference.
“I apologise after because of this 15 minutes because I felt it was something big, but this something big can happen. You cannot control this. It is something extraordinary. I like usually to apologise but I did this time because of these 15 minutes, but all the rest I’ve got nothing to apologise for.
“I like the players how they behaved after, in the second half, they were trying, they ran, they wanted to do but, in this moment, when you are in a problem so big it looks like nothing is enough.
“We need to stay now because this moment will pass, don’t lose our heads, stay focused, keep working and it will pass, that’s the point.”
I like usually to apologise but I did this time because of these 15 minutes, but all the rest I’ve got nothing to apologise for
Igor Tudor on Tottenham's defeat to Atletico Madrid
Manchester City’s squad refunded their travelling supporters in January after their shock 3-1 defeat to Bodo Glimt.
But asked whether he thought refunding tickets was an empty gesture, Tudor called on the club to use their “good sense”.
“I said what I wanted to say about this… this is for the club but there needs to be good sense in everything in life. See how you want to see my answer.”
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