Tottenham call on fans to 'move on' from using Y word | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Epaper
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Friday
June 20, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Epaper
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025
Tottenham call on fans to 'move on' from using Y word

Sports

Reuters
10 February, 2022, 10:30 pm
Last modified: 10 February, 2022, 10:34 pm

Related News

  • UEFA issues apology after running out of medals at Europa League trophy presentation
  • Spurs beat United to win Europa League, end 17-year wait for silverware
  • They'll say we're not worthy, who cares, says Postecoglou after Tottenham reach Europa League final
  • Liverpool edge past West Ham as Salah sets record, Chelsea and Spurs falter
  • Haaland goal at Tottenham sends Man City fourth

Tottenham call on fans to 'move on' from using Y word

In a statement on Thursday, Tottenham said the continued use of the term went against its work to "create a welcoming environment that embraces all our fans."

Reuters
10 February, 2022, 10:30 pm
Last modified: 10 February, 2022, 10:34 pm
Photo: Reuters
Photo: Reuters

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have called on its supporters to "move on" from using the word "Yid" after concluding a thorough review with fans' focus groups.

Many Tottenham fans chant the controversial word, a derogatory term for a Jewish person, at matches, arguing that it is a reaction to anti-Semitic abuse supporters of the north London club were once subjected to by opposition fans.

However, a survey of 23,000 fans in 2019 found that 94% of agreed that the use of the word could be considered racist.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Among the key findings of a further review completed in 2020 were that many fans remained uncomfortable with the word being used at matches and that younger fans were unaware of the term's meaning and historical context.

In a statement on Thursday, Tottenham said the continued use of the term went against its work to "create a welcoming environment that embraces all our fans."

"It is clear the use of this term does not always make this possible, regardless of context and intention, and that there is a growing desire and acknowledgment from supporters that the Y-word should be used less or stop being used altogether," the statement read.

"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."

Tottenham said they already refrain from engaging with any social media that contains the word and do not permit it being printed on shirts in any official retail outlets.

While the club accepts that supporters have historically used the word as a means of "taking ownership" of an insult routinely used to insult its sizeable Jewish following, Jewish groups have branded it anti-Semitic, whatever the context.

In an interview in 2020 with Sky, writer and comedian David Baddiel, who made a film with his brother Ivor called 'The Y Word' for the Kick it Out campaign, said: "What it will weirdly give succour to is the sense that Tottenham fans, rather than Jews, 'own' the race-hate word for Jews..."

Tottenham said its supporters' use of the Y-word should never be cited as an excuse for the real evil that is anti-Semitism.

"Antisemitism remains a serious issue in football and more needs to be done to combat it," the club said.

"We believe that antisemitic abuse must be given the same zero tolerance that other forms of discriminatory behaviour receive. It should not be left to a minority in football to address and lead on this."

Football

Tottenham Hotspur / spurs

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. File Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
    Iran says no nuclear talks under Israeli fire, Trump considers options
  • UK and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
    Britain to withdraw UK staff from embassy in Iran
  • NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain speaks at a press conference at the party office in Banglamotor on 20 June 2025. Photo: TBS
    NCP limits party president, secretary to two terms in new draft constitution

MOST VIEWED

  • BAT Bangladesh to shut Mohakhali factory, relocate HQ after lease rejection
    BAT Bangladesh to shut Mohakhali factory, relocate HQ after lease rejection
  • Collage of the two Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) students held over raping classmate after rendering her unconscious and filming videos. Photos: Collected
    2 SUST students held for allegedly rendering female classmate unconscious, raping her, filming nude videos
  • BUET Professor Md Ehsan stands beside his newly designed autorickshaw—just 3.2 metres long and 1.5 metres wide—built for two passengers to ensure greater stability and prevent tipping. With a safety-focused top speed of 30 km/h, the vehicle can be produced at an estimated cost of Tk1.5 lakh. Photo: Junayet Rashel
    Buet’s smart fix for Dhaka's autorickshaws
  • Illustration: Ashrafun Naher Ananna/TBS Creative
    From 18m to 590m Swiss francs: Bangladeshi deposits fly high in Swiss banks
  • Mashrur Arefin appointed Chairman of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh
    Mashrur Arefin appointed Chairman of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh
  • Students attend their graduation ceremony. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
    US resumes student visas but orders enhanced social media vetting

Related News

  • UEFA issues apology after running out of medals at Europa League trophy presentation
  • Spurs beat United to win Europa League, end 17-year wait for silverware
  • They'll say we're not worthy, who cares, says Postecoglou after Tottenham reach Europa League final
  • Liverpool edge past West Ham as Salah sets record, Chelsea and Spurs falter
  • Haaland goal at Tottenham sends Man City fourth

Features

Monsoon in Bandarban’s hilly hiking trails means endless adventure — something hundreds of Bangladeshi hikers eagerly await each year. But the risks are sometimes not worth the reward. Photo: Collected

Tragedy on the trail: The deadly cost of unregulated adventure tourism in Bangladesh’s hills

1h | Panorama
BUET Professor Md Ehsan stands beside his newly designed autorickshaw—just 3.2 metres long and 1.5 metres wide—built for two passengers to ensure greater stability and prevent tipping. With a safety-focused top speed of 30 km/h, the vehicle can be produced at an estimated cost of Tk1.5 lakh. Photo: Junayet Rashel

Buet’s smart fix for Dhaka's autorickshaws

11h | Features
Evacuation of Bangladeshis: Where do they go next from conflict-ridden Iran?

Evacuation of Bangladeshis: Where do they go next from conflict-ridden Iran?

1d | Panorama
The Kallyanpur Canal is burdened with more than 600,000 kilograms of waste every month. Photo: Courtesy

Kallyanpur canal project shows how to combat plastic pollution in Dhaka

3d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

News of The Day, 20 JUNE 2025

News of The Day, 20 JUNE 2025

1h | TBS News of the day
Israel strikes Iranian missile launch site

Israel strikes Iranian missile launch site

2h | TBS World
Tarique Rahman's Potential Homecoming: Preparations Underway?

Tarique Rahman's Potential Homecoming: Preparations Underway?

19m | TBS Stories
Deposits from Bangladeshis fly high in Swiss banks in 2024

Deposits from Bangladeshis fly high in Swiss banks in 2024

6h | TBS Stories
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net