Inside World Football

June 11 – There are controversial managerial sackings. And then there is – make that was – Ange Postecoglou.

Rarely, if ever, has getting rid of a manager been so hotly contested as the decision by Tottenham Hotspur to dispense with the services of the man who led the club to their first European trophy for 41 years (becoming only the third Spurs manager to do so) – and their first major piece of major silverware for 17.

Even by chairman Daniel Levy’s notoriously ruthless standards, this was as unwarranted a firing as they come.

Yes, Spurs suffered a disastrous domestic campaign. Yes, they ended the Premier League season in 17th place – their lowest finish since 1976/77 – just one place above the unthinkable relegation zone. And yes, notwithstanding a squad ravaged by slew of injuries, they lost a joint club record 22 league fixtures. All in themselves justifiable reasons to consider change – were it not for what happened at the Europa League final in Bilbao last month.

How many people will remember the afore-mentioned statistics in years to come when compared to that euphoric night when Tottenham shrugged off their Spursy tag (dictionary definition: a term associated with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, used to describe the team’s tendency to collapse or fail to capitalise on opportunities, particularly in crucial moments) and did something even their great rivals Arsenal haven’t done for five years – win a major trophy.

This is why there was a strong case for hanging on to Postecoglou for a third season whilst acknowledging that he had clear flaws in terms of how he set his team up to play. Yet instead, Spurs are searching for their 11th permanent manager since the turn of the century.

It was telling that in their statement, the club explained the need to “compete on multiple fronts” and that they could not base their decision on “emotions” alone, an implicit suggestion that they were far from happy with Postecoglou admitting that from February his priority was on winning the Europa League rather than league form.

Understandable concerns if he had come up short. But he didn’t. He gambled. And the gamble paid off with Levy among those who basked in the glory of Bilbao – only to put reputation first and sack the manager a few days later.

One passionate fan, clearly exasperated, wrote a heartfelt open letter to Levy – viewed multiple times on social media – denouncing him for sweeping away the desperately craved feelgood factor. He cited hope, pride and identity and accused Levy of turning Spurs back into a laughing stock.

He had a point. The club’s motto is ‘To Dare Is To Do’ and their historic club song specifically about glory. Not about finishing a season in a decent position but with no silverware to show for it. ‘Control over courage’ in the words of the afore-mentioned fan. And, he opined, “the last straw” for the current Spurs leadership.

In addition to those who were in Bilbao, no-one will ever forget the 200,000 delirious supporters lining the streets in and around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium two days after the defeat of Manchester United. Or the hero-worshipping response Postecoglou received when he took to the podium.

It went down a storm, with many of those who had initially wanted the Greek-Australian out because of the woeful league form changing their minds and prepared to give him another chance as a result of ending the club’s long trophy drought and, not insignificantly, securing Champions League football to boot.

The double achievement may not have been secured in the way the Tottenham hierarchy, and to be fair part of the fan base, would have ideally chosen. But the end result was exactly the same. This is the point.

Spurs may have lost several millions because of where they finished in the league but ironically that will be more than outweighed by prospective Champions League income. Which, with financial considerations supposedly so important, makes the decision to sack Postecoglou all the more baffling.

And now, instead of looking forward to steering Spurs into European club football’s most prestigious club competition after fulfilling to his pledge to win a trophy in his second season, Postecoglou’s “reward” is to look for another job, the feat in Bilbao not enough to save him.

He will doubtless have received a huge payoff (the reported figure is £4 million) but his farewell statement oozed class.

“The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime,” he wrote. “Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.”

“That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible.”

Emotional stuff and it begs the question, exactly what position in the league would have been sufficient to keep Postecoglou in the role? 16th? 10th? 6th? We will likely never know.

What we DO know is that according to multiple reports, Tottenham have turned their attention to Brentford’s Thomas Frank to become the latest to walk through the thorny Spurs managerial revolving door.

Frank has worked wonders establishing Brentford as a top-flight club year after year. His refreshing, approachable manner has long endeared him to fans and the media alike and he is said to get the best out of his players.

But he has no top-flight European experience at club level and taking over at Tottenham, if indeed that is what transpires, is a totally different kettle of fish in terms of managing expectations to doing the business at an unfashionable mid-table team.

Memories are short in football and if Frank (or whoever else is appointed) hits his strides early doors, the positivity that enveloped the fanbase in the wake of Tottenham’s European triumph could quickly return.

If not, the likeable Dane may be in for a rough ride…

March 25 – Fresh from a humbling in the CONCACAF Nations League, United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) boss Mauricio Pochettino is having to deal with expanded rumors about a return to one of his former clubs, Tottenham Hotspur.

Recent photos of Pochettino having coffee with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy went viral on social media last week, sparking speculation that the Argentine, who led the North London club to consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League, could be on his way back to the English capital.

Pochettino, who only recently signed a lucrative deal with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), has found himself under immense pressure after losing to both Panama and Canada in the space of four days with underwhelming performances.

With the World Cup less than 400 days away, it is feared that ‘Poch’ is coming to the realization that the US is still indeed, a backwater for the ‘beautiful game’, especially as the soccer public basically turned a blind eye to his team, while packing SoFi Stadium to the rafters for their spiritual rivals, Mexico.

If Spurs were to make an early move for their popular former boss, it would cost them dearly. It has been rumored that Levy would have to part with “one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history.”

Huge compensation packages are not unheard of, though, as their London rivals, Chelsea, parted with £21million to secure the services of Brighton’s Graham Potter, who lasted seven months before being dismissed.

Pochettino signed a two-year contract with USSF in September worth a reported £4.6m a year, but if results continue in the same manner as the Nations League, the federation top brass may have to reconsider their options.

After the disaster of previous coach Gregg Berhalter, the USSF was under pressure to hire a top name. Pochettino is a top name but with no international experience.

Facing him in the technical area at SoFi was Canada’s American boss, Jesse Marsch, who was overlooked by the USSF when Berhalter was in the wilderness following reports of domestic issues.

One wonders if there might be a small case of ‘buyer’s remorse’.

March 14 – Tottenham Hotspur fans who have been clamouring for the departure of chairman Daniel Levy and owners ENIC are likely to be further displeased by the appointment of Peter Charrington as a director.

Charrington, director of ENIC and former CEO of Citi Private Bank, will be joining the board at Spurs as Non-Executive Director.

“Tottenham Hotspur is an iconic Club and I am incredibly honoured to be taking up a place on its board. I am looking forward to working closely with Daniel and the board to help the Club achieve long-term success,” Charrington told the club’s website.

Over the course of this season, Spurs fans have been protesting, rightly or wrongly, that the owners have allegedly prioritised financial success over on-pitch improvement.

Those who want to see a reduction in ENIC’s decision-making influence will likely now be further irritated that it increasing.

Reports over recent months have claimed that a number of potential investors have held talks over a full takeover of Spurs, but nothing concrete has materialised. Spurs reached the last eight of the Europa League on Thursday but are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

November 28 – Tottenham Hotspur’s Italian international goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will be out for “months, not weeks” with an ankle injury, manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

Vicario had surgery after playing 60 minutes with a broken ankle in Tottenham’s headline-making 4-0 win at champions Manchester City on Saturday.

The 28-year-old needed treatment in the first half following a collision with City winger Savinho, but went on to play the full game.

The Italy keeper has missed just four matches since joining from Empoli in June 2023 and his injury represents a massive blow for Tottenham who suddenly have a growing number of key senior players on the sidelines at the same time, but few as important as their goalkeeper who is virtually irreplaceable with 36-year-old former England shot stopper Fraser Forster now coming into the side for a lengthy spell.

“We saw Vic picked up an injury during the game and he was sore at half-time, but there was no doubt about him continuing,” Postecoglou said.

“It is a testament to him as a person. He is as tough as nails, as tough as they come. It’s a blow but we’ve dealt with setbacks before and we’ll deal with this one.”

November 19 – The severity of the seven-game ban meted out to Tottenham Hotspur’s Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has prompted widespread dismay and bewilderment across the English game with authorities accused of inconsistency verging on victimisation.

Bentancur was banned for using a racial slur about Spurs team-mate Son Heung-min, fined £100,000 and ordered to take part in a mandatory education programme, unable to play for his club again (except in Europe) until Boxing Day.

The incident – in which Bentancur said Son was indistinguishable in looks from other South Koreans – occurred thousands of miles away during a television appearance in Bentancur’s native Uruguay in June, with the FA formally charging the player in September.

The midfielder was being interviewed when a Uruguayan journalist asked: “Well, what about the Korean’s shirt?”

After questioning whether the journalist was asking about ‘Sonny’, Bentancur then added: “Or one of Sonny’s cousins as they all look more or less the same.”

Despite offering a swift apology, Bentancur’s case, classified as an “aggravated breach”, required review by an independent regulatory commission panel. The panel upheld the FA’s charge even though Son, tellingly one of Bentancur’s closest colleagues at Tottenham, backed his teammate to the hilt by accepting that the Uruguayan’s comments were simply a bad joke.

Indeed, Son had been keen to speak up in Bentancur’s defence. “Lolo (Rodrigo) would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all,” he said. “When we came back for pre-season, he felt sorry and he almost cried when he apologised publicly and personally as well. He felt like he was really sorry.”

Whether the punishment fits the crime is now the subject of heated debate, with Bentancur effectively sanctioned on a technicality given there have been other equally if not worse cases where the perpetrators have got off Scot free.

The panel found that although Bentancur had shown “genuine remorse”, but that he should have “foreseen substantial publicity” in making the joke.

But there is a strong belief that Tottenham and the player have been made an example of and that his apology, together with the backing of Son, has been conveniently ignored.

Tottenham have the right to appeal the verdict but have not commented on the ban. Yet was the FA out of order to start with, or at the very least way over the top with the penalty?

In comparison, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández escaped an FA investigation over discriminatory comments made while on international duty last summer.

Fernandez, who has captained Chelsea since his incident, was filmed chanting racist and homophobic slurs about the French team while on international duty with Argentina.

Fernández’s conduct while celebrating winning the Copa America was outside the FA’s jurisdiction because he was with Argentina at the time and therefore fell under FIFA’s domain.

And how about Spain and Manchester City’s Rodri who, along with Alvaro Morata, was banned for one match by UEFA for chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ during celebrations in Madrid after their victory against England in the Euro 2024 final. Again, outside FA jurisdiction according to the letter of the law.

Even when the Premier League WAS involved, Edinson Cavani was banned for just three games in 2021 over a social media post in which he used the term “negrito” after a game while representing Manchester United. If that doesn’t put Bencantur’s case into perspective, nothing does.

Bentancur, the FA’s spurious argument goes, hadn’t officially been released for international duty so was still under their remit even though no English match was involved, he wasn’t even in the country and his comments were made on Uruguayan tv.

The whole thing is utterly absurd.

Former Crystal Palace supremo Simon Jordan, now a respected media pundit, blasted the current loophole when he told Talksport Radio: “You’ve got an inconsistency about the manner in which you approach these things because the FA couldn’t sanction Fernandez.

“He’s playing in the FA’s Premier League, but because he was playing out of their jurisdiction … he was under the jurisdiction of another governance. Fernandez said something equally as challenging at Chelsea but he gets away with it because of jurisdiction rules.”

And there’s the rub. If only a little common sense had prevailed instead of such ridiculous heavy-handed politically correct inflexibility.

November 19 – Tottenham Hotspur have revealed their new ‘remastered’ brand identity, which will see the club ditch the letters underneath its logo for the first time.

The new-look badge is supported by a silhouette version that allows for a ‘more playful’ expression of the brand.

The revamped branding is being rolled out across all the club’s physical and digital assets starting with the AS Roma Europea League game on November 28.

Spurs’ remastered brand has been nine months in the making with sports branding specialists Studio Nomad, who reportedly gathered input from more than 300 players, staff and fans.

The club also announced a font overhaul on Tuesday morning, with each letter now designed around curves from the cockerel branding.

Ange Postecoglou, Men’s Head Coach, said: “We want to be a certain type of football club – we want success like everyone else, but we want to arrive there doing it our way.

“The brand represents consistently challenging what you do and looking for an edge – when you do get it right, you create something special.

“It encapsulates values that are ingrained in what this football club is – we want our people to dream and we want to stand out from the rest and do things a little bit differently.”

Spurs face Manchester City on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. Postecoglou’s side have suffered from inconsistencies at the beginning of this campaign, where patchy form has led them to tenth place in the Premier League table. Now, they look to capitalise on Manchester City’s shaky form with an important three points on the road to match their sharp new look.

November 13 – Sports and technology are increasingly intertwined from player metrics to keeping fans happy in the stands. The latest club to collaborate with a tech partner is Tottenham Hotspur who have announced a strategic partnership with ExpressVPN, a global leader in consumer digital privacy and security.

The two-year partnership marks ExpressVPN’s debut in global football sponsorship. Spurs hope to enhance the club’s digital infrastructure while offering added value to fans. The agreement between the two will span multiple areas.

– Digital Integration: Tottenham Hotspur will integrate ExpressVPN’s advanced privacy solutions across its digital platforms. This will help secure the club’s internal communications, safeguard sensitive data, and enhance online transactions for fans.

– Marketing Collaboration: ExpressVPN will leverage Tottenham’s vast global audience to boost brand awareness, particularly in key markets such as Western Europe. The partnership will include:

– Social Media Campaigns: Collaborative content on the club’s digital channels, highlighting the benefits of using ExpressVPN for online privacy.

– In-Stadium Branding: ExpressVPN will have visibility on LED boards during home matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, exposing the brand to both live spectators and global TV audiences.

ExpressVPN chose Spurs as a partner because of the global following which runs into millions of fans across social media and market visibility, which are key for ExpressVPN’s growth.

ExpressVPN, will be hoping that the North London club can improve with performances on the pitch though. Ange Postecoglou, the current manager is under intense pressure after a series of calamitous losses, and the calls for a replacement are growing.

In the last 10 years, including both permanent and caretaker managers, Tottenham has had eight different stabs at finding a magician with the right wand to make Spurs…well, less Spursy!

October 24 – Fresh from making a tidy sum of money brokering and then selling her stake in Newcastle United, Amanda Staveley is rumoured to have her eye on another Premier League club in the form of Tottenham Hotspur.

Staveley was recently seen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium watching the other football, namely the NFL, when the venue hosted, the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The former part-owner of the Magpies was one of the key drivers in brokering the highly controversial Saudi-backed takeover of the North-east club while playing a key-role in day-to-day operations for three years.

Spurs, the great Premier League underachievers, have been openly expressing the need to attract new investment partners. ENIC, the current owners of the North London club have had a 24 year-reign, while the current chairman, Daniel Levy has had 20 years in the hot seat.

Back in April, Levy shocked many observers when he declared his plans for the future of the club saying: “To capitalise on our long-term potential, to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the Club requires a significant increase in its equity base..,” “The Board and its advisors, Rothschild & Co, are in discussions with prospective investors. Any recommended investment proposal would require the support of the Club’s shareholders.”

Levy, who is the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman, has overseen the building of a state-of-the-art stadium, and the club’s sustained presence in European competitions but can only boast one trophy, namely the League Cup. With their rivals, most notably Chelsea and Arsenal consistently in the upper echelon of the league, the time could be right for Levy to seek a different challenge.

People close to Staveley think her interest in Spurs is genuine, and believe she has the relationships and experience to attract investors from the USA and to revisit the Middle East.

The aim would be to purchase a minority stake in the club, and then utilize her skills as a disruptor to further the ambitions of the club. Under Levy, Spurs have traditionally been highly conservative in both the buying and selling of players. Levy is well known as one of the toughest negotiators in football.

Fans of the club have long had a love/hate relationship with Levy, and bringing in someone like Staveley will be seen as a break from the past and a look to the future. She has a reputation as a deal-maker, however, any potential deal with Spurs will require a high-wire act of hand-holding combined with a ruthlessness that may make some at the club feel uneasy.

September 13 – English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have teamed up with Ant International, a digital payment and financial technology leader, in a three-year deal.

Ant International and its business brands Alipay+, Antom and WorldFirst have come on board to provide supporters with payment services both at Tottenham’s stadium and online.

Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman said: “The Club and Ant International are fully aligned as we look to deepen connections with our football fans through digital interactions. We shall also be supporting the growth in awareness of the Ant International brand across our extensive global platforms as an elite Premier League Club.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ant International was a UEFA partner during the last two European championships.

“This aligns with Ant International’s mission in our globalization – leveraging technological innovation to provide individuals and small businesses with greater access to inclusive financial services,” said Yang Peng, Chief Executive Officer of Ant International.

“Tottenham Hotspur has the forward-looking vision of leveraging cutting-edge technologies to enhance fan experience. We resonate with the Club’s ‘To Dare is To Do’ spirit and look forward to working closely with Tottenham Hotspur to engage with its global fanbase through our innovative payment and digitalisation solutions, inspiring the 1.6 billion consumers served by Alipay+ and its partners through the sport and the Club.”

August 16 – Tottenham Hotspur’s Mali international midfielder Yves Bissouma will miss the start of the Premier League season after being suspended by the club following an investigation into social media footage showing him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide, or laughing gas.

Bissouma has been ruled out of Tottenham’s Premier League opener at newly promoted Leicester on Monday.

Possession of nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas – for recreational use has been a criminal offence in the United Kingdom since 2023 and can result in a two-year prison sentence for repeat offenders.

“We’ve suspended him for Monday’s game,” said Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou. “The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him to realise the decisions he makes impact more than just him. Hopefully it allows him to make better decisions moving forward.”

Bissouma, who joined Spurs from Brighton for £30 million in 2022, had played 45 minutes in the friendly loss to Bayern Munich last Saturday. Later that day he posted a video of himself on social media which showed him inhaling from a balloon.

The 27-year-old has since apologised for what he described as a “severe lack of judgement”.

“I want to apologise for these videos. I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”