Spurs held a review of the use of the Y-word, holding focus groups with some of the club's fanbase which concluded in the summer of 2020; "We recognise how these members of our fanbase feel and we also believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our club"
Monday 14 February 2022 16:44, UK
Tottenham fans have defied a plea from the club by continuing to chant the Y-word.
The chant was repeatedly voiced during Spurs' 2-0 home defeat against Wolves on Sunday in the Premier League.
Tottenham released a statement on Thursday on their fans' use of the Y-word, saying "it is time to move on" from associating the term with the club.
But less than three minutes into their meeting with Wolves on Sunday, fans were heard chanting the Y-word. The FA said on Monday that it is working with the relevant authorities to address the issue of discriminatory language.
An FA spokesperson said: "We fully support any club which tackles antisemitism and anti-Jewish abuse proactively. We continue to work closely with the police and other relevant authorities to combat all forms of discrimination in football and encourage all fans and participants who believe that they have been the subject of, or witness to, discriminatory abuse to report this through the appropriate channels: The FA, our County FA network or via our partners at Kick It Out."
Sky Sports' Mark McAdam, who was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, reported afterwards: "On the field, things weren't particularly good for Tottenham, and off the field I imagine there will be a lot of senior figureheads around this football club who will once again be disappointed with the actions of a number of fans.
"We saw the statement that was released by the club on Thursday with regards a consultation period that had started back in 2019 with their fans. They had a response of over 23,000 to the questionnaire.
"Ninety-four per cent of those fans who responded said they could acknowledge that it could be seen as racism towards a Jewish person.
"But within three minutes of today's game with Wolves, I heard a chant that used the Y-word. Two minutes later, there was another chant which used the Y-word. Three minutes later, another chat which used the Y-word.
"The message was quite clear from the fans who were inside the stadium today - and a huge chunk of them - that they want to continue using the Y-word despite what the club has said.
Sky Sports' Lewis Jones, also in attendance at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, added: "Despite the calls from the club for Spurs fans to stop chanting the 'Y-word' - it's not been reciprocated by the home fans.
"On at least seven occasions during the first half - whenever there was something to shout about - the word was chanted in some form, most of the noise coming from the South Stand where Tottenham were attacking that half. It was also chanted towards Ryan Sessegnon as he walked around the pitch when substituted."
Tottenham have said they will be publishing dedicated content in their matchday programmes to further outline the historical context of the Y-word, to "explain the offence it can cause and to embrace the times in which we now live".
A club statement said: "Our statement last week clearly states that we are asking fans to re-assess their use of the term, following the conclusion of our fan consultation work.
"We acknowledge that any reassessment of the use of this term needs to be a collaborative effort between the club and its fans.
"As such, we shall be working to further outline the historical context of the term to explain the offence it can cause and to embrace the times in which we now live through dedicated content in our home matchday programmes."
The Metropolitan Police has told Sky Sports News they have not received any reports on the matter and there is no police investigation in relation to this.
Sky Sports News has contacted the Premier League and the Football Association for comment.
Spurs held a review of the use of the Y-word, holding focus groups with some of the club's fanbase which concluded in the summer of 2020.
In highlighting some of the key findings, Spurs revealed:
Spurs said in the statement: "We recognise how these members of our fanbase feel and we also believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our club.
"The adoption of the Y-word by our supporters from the late 1970s was a positive response to the lack of action taken by others around this issue. An increasing number of our fans now wish to see positive change again with the reduction of its use, something we welcome and shall look to support."
Ivor Baddiel, who along with brother David made a documentary called 'The Y-word' for the Kick It Out campaign in 2011, told Sky Sports News the use of the Y-word had sewn confusion among Tottenham's fanbase, given supporters could face police intervention if they used it outside of a matchday setting.
He said: "It's a complex issue but at the forefront is the terrible confusion the use of the word causes. You could be arrested for saying it out on the streets, and then walk 100m, use it in the stadium, and not be arrested.
"At its worst, there are horrendous chants from other clubs, which are absolutely abhorrent. But I would argue the confusion is such that even when singing a chant like that, people don't realise they're offending Jews, they think they're just having a go at Tottenham.
"The statement is very welcome from Tottenham and I applaud it. I think it's all about Tottenham fans and other fans taking on board what they said, thinking about it, and coming to that decision themselves.
"It's a difficult one to police, I was watching the game on Wednesday and you could hear it loudly in the stadium. I find that upsetting and annoying, but you can't ban them all or arrest them all.
"My mother was born in Nazi Germany, we lost relatives in the Holocaust. How can it not be upsetting in any context?"
His brother David went further in an interview with Sky News in February 2020 when he questioned Tottenham's right to reclaim the word, and said the link between the club and the Jewish community was "mainly mythical".
He said: "The vast majority of fans of the club, including those who self-designate as Y-words, are not Jewish and therefore have no right of 'reclamation'.
"What it will weirdly give succour to is the sense that Tottenham fans, rather than Jews, 'own' this race-hate word for Jews, a word that blackshirts painted on shops in the East End of London."
In recent years, efforts have been made to try to convince Tottenham fans to cease using the term, amid claims it is continuing to fuel antisemitism within football.
In 2013, the Football Association even warned fans that using the word could result in criminal charges.
Jewish groups have branded the word antisemitic, whatever the context it is used in.
A record number of antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2021, ranging from abuse to GBH and threats to kill.
The Community Service Trust (CST), a charity that collects data on anti-Jewish abuse, recorded 2,255 incidents in 2021, up by 34 per cent from 1,684 in 2020.
The figures include 176 violent incidents, three of which involved grievous bodily harm (GBH) or a threat to life.
