Inside World Football

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.”

June 28 – Tottenham Hotspur have announced a partnership with Citygreen Sports Group to become the Official Synthetic Turf Supplier to the Club for the 2024-25 season.

The club, who have earned the title as the Premier League’s ‘greenest club’, will be working with Citygreen on the installation of a new synthetic pitch at their training centre in Enfield to provide an environmentally friendly surface which aims to improve the quality of training sessions and supports player development.

The synthetic turf pitch serves the men’s and women’s Academy teams and community events year-round.

Paul May, Training Centre Director of Operations at Spurs, said: “It is fantastic to be working with Citygreen for the forthcoming season as we look to further enhance the facilities at our world-class Training Centre. This partnership will help the development of players that visit the campus throughout the year, as well as aligning with our mission to reduce our environmental impact across Club activities.”

Spurs visit Asia this summer on their pre-season tour, facing J-League champions Vissel Kobe in Japan before travelling to South Korea for matches versus the K League Allstars and FC Bayern Munich.

June 13 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have announced BP brands bp pulse as Official EV Charging Partner of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Castrol as Official Partner of both the men’s and women’s teams.

bp pulse is the clean energy business of oil giant British Petroleum and part of the its plans to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.

The EV charging business is working to increase the speed of its roll out of charging hubs across the country and the deal with Spurs will see it bring EV charging stations across its sites.

Ryan Norys, chief revenue officer, Tottenham Hotspur, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with yet another world-renowned brand in bp. The partnership will offer exciting opportunities for our fans and customers across the globe, while helping supporters travel to our matches sustainably through subsidised, shared travel and increased EV provision.”

No value or term was given for the deal.

BP’s Castrol brand has a long history of football sponsorship including with the Premier League and the FIFA World Cup in the past.

The Spurs deal will see the creation of an ‘Away Fans Travel Fund’ with the club to support subsidised shared travel at select away matches for both the men’s and women’s teams.

Castrol will also activate its sponsorship through digital promotions and overseas activations.

Nicola Buck, senior vice president of marketing for bp, said: “With our history of football partnerships, we’re delighted to unite with Tottenham Hotspur. As a brand that values performance and innovation we see a natural alignment with the Club’s values and aspirations. This partnership not only gives us the opportunity to connect with football fans globally, it gives us a great opportunity to bring our customers and consumers closer to the action on the football pitch too.”

February 14 – Tottenham Hotspur reportedly hold no fears of keeping hold of fan-favourite Ange Postecoglou despite the Australian being touted among the potential successors to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Postecoglou’s ‘heavily incentivised’ contract at Spurs would see him rewarded for qualification for the Champions League if Tottenham can keep up their positive form, which the club feel is enough to fend off interest from Merseyside.
Klopp announced his intention to leave Liverpool at the end of the current season, Read more …