Ange Postecoglou has insisted Champions League qualification is not the equivalent of a Willy Wonka golden ticket and will be meaningless unless Tottenham can build on it this summer.
Spurs travel to Aston Villa on Sunday with both clubs vying for fourth spot, which will guarantee a place in Europe’s elite competition.
Fifth could also secure Champions League football, but Postecoglou – without naming them – cited Manchester United and Newcastle as examples of teams who have failed to kick on after finishing in the top four last season.
“There are a couple of teams who got into the Champions League this year from last year, had a good season. Does that guarantee anything the following season? No,” Postecoglou stated.
“What’s more important is that come the end of this year, we’ve got a team that’s going to challenge the following year and keep growing. Right now, the most important thing is us, our identity and our football.
“It’s not a Willy Wonka golden ticket, you know? It just gets you a year in the Champions League, but if you don’t build on that or grow from that, it is meaningless, I think anyway, because we’re not in it for participation, we’re in it to win things.
“Yes, if we make Champions League this year it means we’ve progressed from last year, but has our football progressed?
“Are we a better team? Are we a stronger team? Are we going to improve in the summer to make sure that next year we are going to be even better?
“That’s much more important to me. My target this year has always been to create a team that I hope will lay strong foundations for moving forward being a team that can win things. That’s where it begins and ends.
“Logically as you say, if we’ve improved and make Champions League, it means we’ve had a decent year. But that isn’t going to give me any comfort if we’re not playing the football that I want to play and we haven’t improved in the off-season to make sure we’re ready for the next step.”
Tottenham, who will have Pedro Porro back for the Villa Park trip but remain without Richarlison (knee), are also an example of a club who failed to progress after Champions League qualification in 2022.
Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte left 10 months after he secured fourth spot with Spurs, then going on to finish outside of the European spots last season.
It resulted in fan unrest before Postecoglou’s arrival united the fanbase, but supporters have expressed their frustration this week following changes to season ticket prices.
Spurs will increase season tickets prices by six per cent next season and, from the 2025-26 season, there will be no new senior concession season tickets available.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust were “dismayed” by the six per cent increase and labelled the changes to senior concessions as “unacceptable”, while a new fans group called Save Our Seniors has been created in an effort to co-ordinate a campaign to make the club reverse its decision.
Postecoglou said: “Supporters are the lifeblood of any football club and I am not going to try to dictate how they feel.
“They have a voice, they have a strong voice and avenues to express their opinions. I will always abide by that and accept that.”
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery insists Sunday’s crunch Premier League clash with Tottenham was not on his mind when naming his side for Thursday’s 0-0 Europa Conference League draw at Ajax.
Emery made several changes, with John McGinn, Matty Cash and Leon Bailey among those dropping out, and Villa put in a disjointed performance in the last-16 first-leg tie in Amsterdam.
Villa do not have long to recover ahead of Sunday’s huge clash with Spurs, where they could strengthen their grip on a top-four place and Champions League qualification.
But Emery said: “Not really thinking about Sunday because we decided the starting XI with the players with Tim (Iroegbunam) and Morgan (Rodgers) because we didn’t have one player like Tim after injury to (Boubacar) Kamara.
“Ajax have a lot of young players and with Tim we have to do the same and play around players with experiences.
“We decided to play with Pau Torres but knowing the maximum of him was not 90 minutes because maybe that would be taking a risk.
“McGinn, he had a small pain and was a doubt and I prefer not to take a risk. But more or less I was trying to be positive with those players but really we didn’t control the game like we wanted.”
Villa took off Pau Torres at half-time, but Emery said that was planned.
“Pau had a small injury two weeks ago and didn’t play against Luton and we did a plan with him,” he added.
“The plan before the match is not completely 100 per cent because the result and how the match is going.
“I think tactically we needed to change something and we did, and the plan was to play 45 minutes with Pau and we decided to do that.”
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has been left “dismayed” by the club’s decision to increase season ticket prices by six per cent for the 2024-25 season.
Spurs announced the price rise on Wednesday and put it down to “a significant increase in matchday costs” regarding utilities, rates and consumables.
THST immediately criticised the club’s decision alongside highlighting the planned change to senior concessions, which according to the Supporters’ Trust means from the 2029-30 campaign senior season tickets would cost 25 per cent more than today.
A club statement read: “Football is not immune to the rising costs of goods and services across the board and we continue to look at all options to minimise ticket price increases, while absorbing the vast majority of costs.
“In the five years since the stadium opened in April 2019, there has only been one season ticket price increase of 1.5 per cent.
“There has, however, been a significant increase in matchday costs outside of our control such as utilities, rates and consumables, along with the need to continue to operate on a sustainable basis. For 2024-25, season ticket prices will increase by six per cent.”
Last summer, THST was a vocal critic of the club’s decision to increase matchday ticket prices for this current season and a meeting was held on February 21 surrounding this imminent change to season tickets.
“Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust is dismayed by the club’s plans to increase season tickets by six per cent,” a statement read.
“We oppose any season ticket increase and the removal or reduction of senior concessions, both of which are also opposed by the Fan Advisory Board.
“THST Board members met with the club on February 21 when we were presented with the season ticket proposals for the first time. During this meeting, we disagreed on several areas and as a result of our input, changes were made.
“We do, however, remain hugely disappointed to see season tickets increase by six per cent.”
THST continued: “The club’s justification for the six per cent increase are two-fold: 1. That it has only raised prices once before in the last five years by 1.5 per cent. 2. Because there has been a ‘significant increase in matchday costs’.
“In our opinion neither justification holds water.
“The club says the number of senior concession season tickets has risen to almost four times the number at White Hart Lane and says the increase is not sustainable. We say these changes pull the rug out from under the feet of pensioners after years of loyal support.
”THST believes a fuller discussion at the beginning of this process with the club would have led to more effective input and increased the prospect of an outcome with wider support.”
What the papers say
Manchester United and Paris St Germain have emerged as the frontrunners to land the signature of Victor Osimhen in the summer. According to The Independent, Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested in the Napoli forward.
The Telegraph reports Newcastle are edging closer to inking a new deal with midfielder Joelinton. The 27-year-old has little over a year left on his current deal, but the two parties are believed to be on similar terms with negotiations proving productive thus far.
Tottenham have reportedly taken an interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Morten Hjulmand. The Sun, citing Portuguese paper Record, says Spurs sent scouts to watch the Denmark international in action as Sporting beat rivals Benfica 2-1 last Thursday, with a view to a potential summer move for the 24-year-old.
And the i says Newcastle intend to send 19-year-old winger Yankuba Minteh out on loan for a second successive season. Minteh has been at Dutch side Feyenoord this season.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Alphonso Davies: Real Madrid are willing to offer as much as £43m for the Bayern Munich defender, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Archie Brown: HITC reports Chelsea, Leeds and West Ham are all monitoring the English defender, currently playing for Belgian side Gent.
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min has backed the floodgates to open soon for team-mate Brennan Johnson after his latest crucial cameo.
Johnson’s 63rd-minute introduction helped Spurs fight back from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 on Saturday and get their Champions League qualification hopes back on track.
It was a similar story against Brentford and Brighton earlier this year with the Welsh international beginning to flourish after his £47.5million move from Nottingham Forest in September.
Johnson scored once and laid on two assists during his first 11 appearances for the club, but his two assists against Palace mean he has six goal involvements in his last 11 outings for Ange Postecoglou’s team.
It was Johnson’s tenacity which made the leveller after he won back possession from Joachim Andersen before he got the better of Jefferson Lerma to tee up Timo Werner and he later set up Son for Spurs’ third goal.
“Strong man,” Tottenham captain Son told Spurs Play.
“That is what we need, especially the way we play. We want to play high, high intensity and who is coming from the bench has to make an impact. Brennan did and he did two amazing assists.
“I like this guy. I love this guy. I just want to help him as much as I can.
“Even when we start the game, I tell him, ‘just make sure you’re ready, you’ll make the difference. When you come on, you’ll make the difference,’ and that’s what we need.
“Brennan did a fantastic job and I just want to give him a big hug.
“The goals obviously he is missing but I am definitely sure, the way he works, working like this, the goals will come automatically, I am 100 per cent sure.”
Postecoglou echoed Son’s sentiments on Johnson, he said: “I thought Brennan was good, but I thought all of them were good.
“In those moments we work hard with our wide players to make sure they’re in the right areas and a couple of times we just weren’t when the ball was flashed across.
“Brennan did fantastically well to win back possession and when he’s played it across, it’s the other winger that’s there. From our perspective that’s a really important part because it’s not by accident.”
A slight worry for Spurs was substitute Pape Sarr seemingly in pain at full-time, but Postecoglou played down concerns.
He added: “Pape’s had a bit of a back issue since he got back from the Africa Cup of Nations. He’s been dealing with it and it’s getting better but it’s not sort of totally free, so it’s something we’re working on with him.”
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A positive for Palace was Eberechi Eze’s goalscoring return after a hamstring injury and new boss Oliver Glasner preached patience after he brought him off in the 65th-minute.
“You have to take care. We cannot afford to lose him for more weeks again, so this was the reason,” Glasner revealed.
“I think the whole of England knows Ebs is a great player and he can decide games, but also we could see he does not have the rhythm because for these 65 minutes it was not maybe his highest level.
“It is normal because he came back from an injury.
“Now we work also with him that he will be able to play 95, 100 minutes on the highest level.”
Ange Postecoglou hopes Timo Werner gains confidence after he scored to help Tottenham earn a much-needed 3-1 home win over Crystal Palace.
Spurs were set for a second consecutive defeat when Eberechi Eze curled home a sumptuous free-kick for the visitors just before the hour mark.
Werner had also been guilty of missing a glorious first-half chance but made amends when he tapped in with 77 minutes played after excellent work by Brennan Johnson to spark a late turnaround by the hosts, with Cristian Romero and captain Son Heung-min also scoring.
It was Werner’s first goal for Spurs since his January loan from RB Leipzig and also just his 11th Premier League goal in 62 appearances after a mixed spell at Chelsea but Postecoglou praised the contribution of the Germany forward.
He said: “I thought Timo, he missed the chance in the first half but he was a constant threat to them and was in the right area for the goal.
“I understand that with attacking players, goals make them feel better and make them more confident.
“I guess it relieves the pressure on them a little bit but just in general I thought he was really aggressive with his running.
“He kept taking on the full-back and I thought apart from the missed chance his general play was really good.
“A goal always helps, it was pleasing for us and it was an important time in the game. It was great for him to score.”
Tottenham struggled to break down Palace in the first half, although Werner should have scored after 19 minutes when Son sent him through but he tried to round Sam Johnstone and was thwarted.
It was the finish of a forward out of confidence and while Spurs started strongly after the break, Oliver Glasner watched his team take the lead when Eze produced a superb free-kick for his seventh goal of the campaign.
Postecoglou introduced Johnson and his tenacity created the equaliser after he robbed Joachim Andersen of possession, got the better of Jefferson Lerma and teed up Werner for a simple finish.
Three minutes later and the hosts were ahead when Romero flicked on James Maddison’s inventive cross with 80 on the clock before Son wrapped up the scoring in the 88th minute after Johnson put him clear.
“I was pleased with the whole game,” Postecoglou insisted.
“You need that goal to break open a team that is going to sit so deep. I still felt like we were putting enough work into them that at some point we would be able to break them.
“Obviously we conceded which was disappointing. You’re looking for a reaction and I thought the reaction was outstanding.
“They just had a real belief today in our processes and our football and I’m really pleased with the outcome.”
Postecoglou also attempted to clarify reports in Brazil that Richarlison may be fit enough for his country’s international fixtures with England and Spain later this month after the Spurs boss had ruled the forward out for “three-to-four” weeks with a knee injury on Friday.
He added: “We’ve still got, what, two weeks to go before then?
“I’m not a doctor, I don’t write prescriptions, I get sort of a guide and go from there.
“If he’s ready to go, he goes. If not, he’ll be with us.”
New Palace boss Glasner was disappointed his team could not hold on at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but credited the effort of his players.
“Yes, I think the players did a great job over 60 to 70 minutes,” Glasner said.
“They stick to the plan and we defended really well for most of the time. Then we scored a very nice goal but to win here at Tottenham you have to be perfect over almost the whole distance of the game.
“We are disappointed because I had the feeling before the 1-1 we can win the game but then it turned and in football one situation can change the game.”
Tottenham returned to winning ways with a 3-1 home victory over Crystal Palace after a dazzling spell of three goals in 11 second-half minutes.
Ange Postecoglou’s team were heading for a second straight defeat when fit-again Eberechi Eze curled home for Oliver Glasner’s side with 59 minutes on the clock.
Substitute Brennan Johnson helped turn the match back in Spurs’ favour, though, with a brilliant assist for Timo Werner’s 77th-minute equaliser before Cristian Romero headed in a second soon after.
Captain Son Heung-min wrapped up the scoring two minutes from time after Johnson had sent him away to earn the hosts’ a much-needed win in the battle for Champions League qualification.
Spurs had two weeks to prepare for this fixture but were up against a Palace side buoyed by the arrival of new boss Glasner, who won his first game in charge at home to Burnley last weekend.
It was the visitors who made the brighter start with Jordan Ayew blazing over before Jean-Philippe Mateta had a shot blocked by Emerson Royal.
Slowly Postecoglou’s side started to click with Son almost put through before he turned creator for what should have produced the opener.
Rodrigo Bentancur won back possession and Son sent Werner clear but he tried to round Sam Johnstone, who stood up well and thwarted the attacker in the 19th minute.
Play was back down the other end soon after when Jefferson Lerma’s shot deflected into the path of Daniel Munoz but Guglielmo Vicario bravely dived in to deny the Palace wing-back.
Vicario made a superb save from Ayew with half an hour played only for the offside flag to be raised as the first rumblings of discontent occurred from the home crowd.
Spurs ended the first half with 82 per cent possession but had produced one shot on target against an organised Palace side in a 3-4-3 under their new boss.
Tottenham’s tempo after the break was much-improved with Werner firing an effort across goal before he wanted a penalty with 53 minutes played.
Werner raced into the area and was caught by Daniel Munoz but referee John Brooks awarded a corner and VAR decided not to intervene.
The attacks kept coming with Son firing a first-time effort against the post from Dejan Kulusevski’s pass before Eze was afforded a rare moment of space and won Palace a free-kick in a dangerous position.
Bentancur was booked for the cynical foul but worse was to follow for Spurs as Eze whipped the free-kick around the wall and beyond Vicario for a superb seventh goal of the campaign.
Postecoglou instantly turned to his bench with Johnson brought on and he side-footed a good chance over straight after his introduction.
Son was next to go close with a scuffed effort wide before Tottenham did find the breakthrough thanks to Johnson’s tenacity.
Johnson first won back possession from Joachim Andersen and then got the better of Lerma before he teed up Werner at the back post to level in the 77th minute.
It was Werner’s first goal in English football since April 2022 but Spurs very quickly made it 2-1.
James Maddison sent a floated cross into the area, which was headed home by Romero, before Son wrapped up the scoring with a fine finish into the bottom corner for his 13th goal of the season.
Eric Dier will remain at Bayern Munich for another season after a pre-agreed clause was met, the Bundesliga giants have said.
The 30-year-old joined Bayern on loan from Tottenham in January and has made seven appearances.
With Dier’s Spurs contract set to expire on June 30, an option to make his transfer permanent if he played a certain number of games was included in the deal.
Dier’s stay at Bayern will now run until at least June 30, 2025, and he said on fcbayern.com: “I’m happy in Munich. Now my future is sorted and I can focus on playing well for the club and trying to help the club to win games, win competitions, even though it’s been a difficult period for us.”
Dier had made only four appearances for Spurs this season, three of them off the bench, before following former team-mate Harry Kane to Germany.
The news officially brings to an end Dier’s time at Tottenham, where he made 365 appearances during a nine-and-a-half-year spell.
Max Eberl, FC Bayern board member for sport, said: “He’s a valuable support in our defence with all his character.”
Ange Postecoglou has advised his Tottenham players to take social media with a pinch of salt after a difficult week for Ryan Sessegnon.
Full-back Sessegnon had surgery on his right hamstring on Monday, after an operation on his left hamstring last summer, and called for people to “be careful what you say online” in a post on his social media channels.
Sessegnon, 23, has endured a torrid time with injuries and faced plenty of abuse on Twitter and Instagram over his fitness woes, but boss Postecoglou likened those platforms to a prison yard.
“I guess the easy thing to say is, ‘look just stay off social media,’ and that’s easy for me to say,” Postecoglou said.
“I can do that but I guess for younger people it’s a vehicle for them or a platform for them to have a voice, which I kind of understand.
“They’ve also got to be mature enough to also know that sometimes the audience, I think for want of a better term, social media is like walking into the prison yard and saying you’re innocent.
“You’re not going to get a hell of a lot of sympathy. Most of it is going to be coming back at you.
“If you’re kind of prepared for that then (fine), but if you’re jumping into there to try and feel good, my sense of it is, I’m not all over it but you’ll rarely come away from it feeling really good about yourself.
“Even with the most genuine of reasons for saying what you want to say or putting out what you want to put out. It’s just that kind of platform you’re invariably going to come away from thinking I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
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Sessegnon is set to spend the rest of the season on the treatment table and is currently joined by Richarlison, who suffered a knee injury during the 2-1 home defeat to Wolves on February 17.
Richarlison is not expected to return until after the international break and Postecoglou will also be without Pedro Porro (muscle) for Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace.
Fifth-placed Tottenham will aim to get their Champions League qualification hopes back on track against Palace and their manager expressed his frustration at the stop-start nature of their campaign.
Early cup exits mean Spurs will only play 41 matches this season and asked if they can make the most of Aston Villa and Manchester United juggling cup commitments, Postecoglou admitted: “I don’t know.
“It depends how you use that time. If you ask me would I rather be in Europe? Absolutely, 1000 per cent I’d rather be in Europe at this time playing games.
“A club like us, who want to compete at the highest level against the best, you need a strong squad and to have a strong squad you need consistent games, consistent game time and opportunities.
“At the moment, if we get an injury then we’re liable to throw in somebody who hasn’t played for four or five weeks. It’s not easy on that player.
“Whereas if you’ve got games, there’s a natural rotation that you need to make all the time and also gives you a little bit of rhythm.
“I had the other extreme last year of 60-plus games at Celtic, but I found that a lot easier to manage than having a disrupted season like we’ve had this year.”
Tottenham have been dealt a fresh injury blow with Richarlison ruled out for up to four weeks with a knee injury.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has been without several players this season for prolonged periods, but appeared to have an almost fully-fit squad to pick from when Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma and Son Heung-min returned from international duty last month.
However, Richarlison sustained a knee issue in the 2-1 defeat to Wolves a fortnight ago, while Pedro Porro (muscle) remains out to join Fraser Forster (ankle), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Manor Solomon (knee) on the treatment table ahead of Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace.
“Destiny (Udogie) has trained but Pedro is probably another week away,” Postecoglou revealed.
“We do have a couple of (other) injuries. Richarlison is out for three to four weeks. He picked up a knee injury in the last game so he will be out for a little while.
“Richy is disappointed because he’s been a key contributor but again it is kind of how our season has gone. We get one back and lose another.
“With Sess, it is a tough one because through no fault of his own, he has worked hard to come back and it is always more challenging when it happens as a series of events.
“He hasn’t really had any reward for the hard work he has put in, in terms of his rehab, to at least get out there and play, to do what he loves, to show people his ability. It is a tough one for him but he’ll get all the support he needs.
“He has had his surgery now and is still a positive guy. He has been through this before, so hopefully that helps him to come back stronger and get out there playing.”
Eric Dier has triggered an option to make his move to Bayern Munich permanent this summer, the PA news agency understands.
Tottenham defender Dier joined Bayern in January on an initial loan deal until the end of the season for a fee in the region of 4million euros.
With Dier’s Spurs contract set to expire on June 30, an option to make his transfer to the Bundesliga champions permanent if he made a certain number of appearances was included in the deal.
Dier has played six times for Thomas Tuchel’s team, which includes four starts, and has now triggered a new 12-month contract to keep him at Bayern until the summer of 2025.
It will officially bring to an end Dier’s time at Tottenham, where he made 365 appearances during a nine-and-a-half-year spell with the Premier League club before he followed England team-mate Harry Kane to Munich.
Tottenham defender Ryan Sessegnon has been backed to bounce back from his latest hamstring surgery by a medical expert.
Sessegnon had an operation on his right hamstring on Monday after the 23-year-old suffered a muscle injury in action for Spurs’ Under-21s on February 17.
It was the second time Sessegnon has been operated on during the past 12 months, but significantly the previous surgery in July was on his left hamstring.
The ex-Fulham player has struggled with muscle injuries over recent seasons, although Sessegnon did state in an Instagram post that his left hamstring now feels “strong” and his hope that this operation on his right hamstring would end previous reoccurring issues.
Sports scientist Dr Rajpal Brar told the PA news agency: “He still has plenty of time right? It is just one of those things with injury cycles or muscular injuries where it can be really tough to get out of, even for more developed players.
“There has certainly been cases where other players have got into it (injury cycles) and got out of it. It is not by any means a death knell for his career or anything.
“He has plenty of time and the key will be some methodical rehab, then some good fortune so you have to hope for the best.
“He has more time to build back and there is also not as much pressure to get back than say a 29- or 30-year-old who is angling to get back to play and get a new contract or whatever it is, whereas it is different for a younger player.”
Sessegnon has not started for Tottenham since last January after he missed the second half of the 2022-23 campaign with a hamstring injury.
It was eventually decided to operate on Sessegnon’s left hamstring in July, which sidelined the one-time England Under-21 international for a number of months.
A cameo against Burnley in the FA Cup last month represented Sessegnon’s first appearance under boss Ange Postecoglou before he was dealt another injury blow when he broke down in a Premier League 2 fixture with West Ham.
Surgery on Sessegnon’s right hamstring was deemed the best course of action and the full-back has been tipped to return for pre-season by Los Angeles-based Dr Brar, who runs the 3cb Performance rehab centre.
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Dr Brar added: “You look at elite footballers, the most common injured muscle is the hamstring and (surgery) is just one of those things where you try to reduce the risk.
“Surgery is never a guarantee of no re-injury but it is one of those things where you think it might give them a better chance of reducing the re-injury risk.
“Once you have surgery, you are looking at a 10 to 12-plus weeks timeline depending on all the specifics.
“The hope is that he can come back for pre-season, get some matches to rebuild that match fitness and match rhythm, then go from there to try to have him ready for the start of next season.”
What the papers say
Wolves’ Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 23, and Crystal Palace’s England international Eberechi Eze, 25, are among Tottenham’s main summer targets, according to The Independent. The club have put a wide-playing forward at the top of their shopping list.
Mason Greenwood’s future at Manchester United will be decided by the end of May. The Sun reports the club will make a decision on the 22-year-old English forward, who is on loan at Getafe.
Dele Alli could be handed a fresh start to his time at Everton. The Daily Express, via The Athletic, reports the club are looking to give the former England midfielder, 27, a new deal.
Liverpool are interested in Brentford’s Cameroon winger Bryan Mbeumo, 24, according to the Daily Express.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jorginho: Arsenal’s Italy midfielder, 32, could return to Serie A in the summer, reports Goal.
Diant Ramaj: Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are looking at Ajax’s German goalkeeper, 22, according to German outlet Bild.
Proud Lilywhites, Tottenham’s official LGBTQI+ supporters’ group, has changed lives and the law since its inception a decade ago, and has no plans to call it a day any time soon.
Tuesday marks the organisation’s 10th anniversary and co-founder Chris Paouros acknowledged an early aim was to “put ourselves out of business” by improving equality in football and changing homophobic attitudes.
The achievements of the group include helping a member seek asylum in the UK and contributing towards the Chelsea rent boy chant being deemed a homophobic hate crime, with this past month full of activities to celebrate their milestone.
Recent men’s and women’s matches with Wolves and Aston Villa respectively were dedicated to Proud Lilywhites’ 10th anniversary with the club’s 62,850-seater stadium lit up in rainbow colours and again on February 15 when a celebration event was held at the ground, with first-teamers Ben Davies and Ellie Brazil in attendance.
“Walking down the High Road (before Wolves), I can’t even begin to tell you how I felt,” Paouros told the PA news agency.
“I come from Seven Sisters way and seeing the stadium saying celebrating 10 years of Proud Lilywhites, it almost took my breath away and I feel emotion now talking about it.
“We just made up this thing 10 years ago and thought this is a good idea!
“As a LGBTQI+ fan, you don’t always feel football is for you. And I always say that feeling when the ball is about to hit the back of the net and everyone rises in unison, you don’t get that anywhere else. For that reason I don’t want to deny that for anybody.”
Proud Lilywhites’ celebration event was attended by several key allies with Spurs’ executive director Donna-Maria Cullen, Troy Townsend of Kick It Out, Women in Football’s Jo Tongue and Olympic gold-medallist Helen Richardson-Walsh all addressing the three-figure audience, while symbolically Ledley King was also present.
Ex-Tottenham captain King has supported the group since the beginning after being in its first ever photo ahead of a Europa League clash with Dnipro on February, 27 2014.
View this post on InstagramThe wheels in motion for Proud Lilywhites started weeks before that launch event at the Dnipro fixture when Paouros and five others held a meeting at White Hart Lane with then-supporters’ liaison officer Jonathan Waite to set out the group’s formation.
In the Bill Nicholson Suite, Proud Lilywhites declared its three key principles would be community, education and campaigning and with it the pathway to changing lives and the law had been set.
Later that year Proud Lilywhites put up its rainbow-coloured flag at White Hart Lane for the first time, which has been the catalyst for fans like group co-chair Lee Johnson to give football a second chance.
Paouros added: “When we first put a flag up at White Hart Lane, there was a huge hoo-ha about it.
“Now it is a permanent fixture and people are proud of it. You can say it is just a symbol to say you are inclusive, but actually that flag has brought so many people back to the game.”
The homophobic rent boy chant – aimed at Chelsea, their players and fans – had forced Johnson away from football, but the Crown Prosecution Service in 2022 recognised it as a homophobic hate crime after Proud Lilywhites alongside Chelsea Pride co-chair Tracy Brown gathered evidence through victim impact statements to ensure the law was changed.
Proud Lilywhites also works alongside Kick It Out to provide fan education, but a real source of pride revolves around helping a now-committee member to be granted asylum in the UK.
“One of our members, she is a committee member now, was seeking asylum in this country for persecution for her sexual orientation,” Paouros explained.
“And as you know if you seek asylum, you have to prove it and how on earth do you prove your sexual orientation? It is unthinkable.
“However, in 2016 or 2017, we did a stall before the north London derby where we made rainbow rock sweets, talked about Proud Lilywhites. She helped and it was photographed.
“So, that evidence of helping with the stall along with a letter we wrote supporting her case meant she was granted asylum and it is one case, but I am really proud of that.”
There are countless other examples of Proud Lilywhites’ impact with the group recently singled out for praise by Angharad ‘Haz’ James upon her departure from the women’s team, while Ashleigh Neville described it as “amazing” earlier this month.
Proud Lilywhites has twice been recognised at the Football v Homophobia awards and was the fourth LGBTQI+ football group to form in England. Now it is one of more than 50 linked to the Pride in Football network, which it helped form.
However, the group’s work is far from over with homophobic abuse targeted at Proud Lilywhites on social media earlier this month, which means a one-time assertion no longer rings true.
“We’ve always said we want to put ourselves out of business and not be in a position where we’re doing this forever, but Donna (Cullen) said, ‘Do you really? Because look at all these people who love being part of this group’. There is something in that because it’s about how you bring people together to feel a sense of community,” Paouros conceded.
“Last year we saw an increase in homophobic chanting and abuse in professional football.
“So, we need to encourage a culture of reporting that doesn’t feel like people being grassed up.
“While we are not safe on our phones, not safe on our streets and while football can sometimes send us signals that we don’t belong, the Proud Lilywhites remains a beacon for the positive change fans can make alongside committed clubs like Spurs to ensure football really is for everyone.”
Proud Lilywhites, Tottenham’s official LGBTQI+ supporters’ group, has changed lives and the law since their inception a decade ago, but have no plans to call it a day any time soon.
Tuesday marks the organisation’s 10th anniversary and co-founder Chris Paouros acknowledged an early aim was to “put ourselves out of business” by improving equality in football and changing homophobic attitudes.
The achievements of the group include helping a member seek asylum in the UK and contributing towards the Chelsea rent boy chant being deemed a homophobic hate crime, with this past month full of activities to celebrate their milestone.
Recent men’s and women’s matches with Wolves and Aston Villa respectively were dedicated to Proud Lilywhites’ 10th anniversary with the club’s 62,850-seater stadium lit up in rainbow colours and again on February 15 when a celebration event was held at the ground, with first-teamers Ben Davies and Ellie Brazil in attendance.
“Walking down the High Road (before Wolves), I can’t even begin to tell you how I felt,” Paouros told the PA news agency.
“I come from Seven Sisters way and seeing the stadium saying celebrating 10 years of Proud Lilywhites, it almost took my breath away and I feel emotion now talking about it.
“We just made up this thing 10 years ago and thought this is a good idea!
“As a LGBTQI+ fan, you don’t always feel football is for you. And I always say that feeling when the ball is about to hit the back of the net and everyone rises in unison, you don’t get that anywhere else. For that reason I don’t want to deny that for anybody.”
Proud Lilywhites’ celebration event was attended by several key allies with Spurs’ executive director Donna-Maria Cullen, Troy Townsend of Kick It Out, Women in Football’s Jo Tongue and Olympic gold-medallist Helen Richardson-Walsh all addressing the three-figure audience, while symbolically Ledley King was also present.
Ex-Tottenham captain King has supported the group since the beginning after being in their first ever photo ahead of a Europa League clash with Dnipro on February, 27 2014.
View this post on InstagramIn the Bill Nicholson Suite, Proud Lilywhites declared their three key principles would be community, education and campaigning and with it the pathway to changing lives and the law had been set.
Later that year Proud Lilywhites put up their rainbow-coloured flag at White Hart Lane for the first time, which has been the catalyst for fans like group co-chair Lee Johnson to give football a second chance.
Paouros added: “When we first put a flag up at White Hart Lane, there was a huge hoo-ha about it.
“Now it is a permanent fixture and people are proud of it. You can say it is just a symbol to say you are inclusive, but actually that flag has brought so many people back to the game.”
The homophobic rent boy chant – aimed at Chelsea, its players and fans – had forced Johnson away from football, but the Crown Prosecution Service in 2022 recognised it as a homophobic hate crime after Proud Lilywhites alongside Chelsea Pride co-chair Tracy Brown gathered evidence through victim impact statements to ensure the law was changed.
Proud Lilywhites also work alongside Kick It Out to provide fan education, but a real source of pride revolves around helping a now-committee member to be granted asylum in the UK.
“One of our members, she is a committee member now, was seeking asylum in this country for persecution for her sexual orientation,” Paouros explained.
“And as you know if you seek asylum, you have to prove it and how on earth do you prove your sexual orientation? It is unthinkable.
“However, in 2016 or 2017, we did a stall before the north London derby where we made rainbow rock sweets, talked about Proud Lilywhites. She helped and it was photographed.
“So, that evidence of helping with the stall along with a letter we wrote supporting her case meant she was granted asylum and it is one case, but I am really proud of that.”
There are countless other examples of Proud Lilywhites’ impact with the group recently singled out for praise by Angharad ‘Haz’ James upon her departure from the women’s team, while Ashleigh Neville described them as “amazing” earlier this month.
Proud Lilywhites have twice been recognised at the Football v Homophobia awards and were the fourth LGBTQI+ football group to form in England. Now they are one of more than 50 linked to the Pride in Football network, which they helped form.
However, the groups’ work is far from over with homophobic abuse targeted at Proud Lilywhites on social media earlier this month, which means a one-time assertion no longer rings true.
“We’ve always said we want to put ourselves out of business and not be in a position where we’re doing this forever, but Donna (Cullen) said, ‘Do you really? Because look at all these people who love being part of this group’. There is something in that because it’s about how you bring people together to feel a sense of community,” Paouros conceded.
“Last year we saw an increase in homophobic chanting and abuse in professional football.
“So, we need to encourage a culture of reporting that doesn’t feel like people being grassed up.
“While we are not safe on our phones, not safe on our streets and while football can sometimes send us signals that we don’t belong, the Proud Lilywhites remains a beckon for the positive change fans can make alongside committed clubs like Spurs to ensure football really is for everyone.”
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