Tottenham Hotspur has issued a statement expressing their displeasure that the Oxford English Dictionary has included an updated edition of the word “Yid” to include “a supporter of or player” of Spurs. The word has inoffensive origins in the Jewish community but with time it was used as an insult to the community, especially post the 1930s.
Tottenham Hotspur said “As a club we have never accommodated the use of the ‘Y-word’ on any club channels or in club stores and have always been clear that our fans (both Jewish and Gentile) have never used the term with any intent to cause offense, We find the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the word misleading given it fails to distinguish context and welcome their clarification.”
The club is based in North London where a major part of their supporter base is the local Jewish community. In a survey conducted last year, 94% of the fans acknowledged that the “Y-word” can be considered racist against a Jewish person.
Jose Mourinho shocked all the Spurs fans last week when he was pictured in a new haircut where he has completely shaven off his hair. In a surprise, a revelation he admitted that he didn’t plan to do that but just fell asleep at the barbers’!
Jose Mourinho said “Sometimes I like to feel the cold weather and I like to change a little bit, But this time was not the case. I fell asleep [in the barber’s chair] and when I woke up it was so bad that I said to him ‘bring the [number] one’. Hopefully, it will grow back again.”
This look is a repeat of his 2012/13 look with Chelsea where he famously said that “his hair will come back in a couple of months time, unlike some others” and appeared to have taken jibe to his long time rival, Pep Guardiola.
The row between the British Broadcastly channel, BBC and Tottenham Hotspur took a new turn as BBC did accept that they did not put out all the information with regards to the Antonio Rudiger getting allegedly racially abused last month but has refused to apologise to the club.
BBC ran a segment about the Holocaust on The One Show on the 27th of January and the program explored allegations that Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger was racially abused by Spurs fans in a game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium back in December. No evidence was found of any racial abuse after an independent investigation by Tottenham and the Police authorities.
BBC said, “This programme has been edited since broadcast. There are a number of reasons why a programme may have been edited including legal, contractual or technical issues.”
The company also admitted that they did not make the outcome of the investigates into the Rudiger incident sufficiently clear. Despite admitting to the error, the report does not mention any apology issued to the North London club.
Jose Mourinho has explained why he has decided against taking a winter break after being spotted at RB Leipzig against Bayern Munich. The 57-year-old was clearly not bothered about having time off himself after going on a personal scouting mission ahead of Spurs’ Champions League game with Leipzig next week.
Jose Mourinho said “The players needed some days off. For their body and soul they needed a rest. But not for me. I think the best way to try and help the team is to work. It’s very important. I can see small details. Even the warm-ups. I can see what TV and video don’t give me. To see the warm-ups and to see what the players do individually. Some skills that sometimes during the game are hidden. It’s a different intensity. It’s a different experience. I couldn’t miss the opportunity.’
Spurs are back in action against Aston Villa post the winter break and will be hosting RB Leipzig in the first leg of the round of 16 in the following week before travelling to the Stamford Bridge.