Tottenham: why players offer to reimburse their supporters

A statement released on Tuesday announced a decision by the players of Tottenham Hotspurs to reimburse the supporters of the club who were in attendance at St. James Park over the weekend. The Lilywhites suffered their second-heaviest defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League when they succumbed to pressure from the Magpies in the first half.

There was no going back for Spurs after 45 minutes of football following Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak’s brace on either side of Joeliton’s strike. And in 21 minutes a defeat was written and guaranteed.

Though Harry Kane got one back early into the second half, Callum Wilson ensured Edie Howe’s men restored their five-goal lead. That defeat led to the sacking of caretaker manager Christian Stellini, less than a month after he replaced compatriot Antonio Conte in the dugout.

Sensing that their travelling fans were more than upset with the results at Newcastle, the playing body decided to shoulder some of the blame following the axing of the manager. They together decided to reimburse the ticket cost from the match while promising to do better against Manchester United on Thursday.

A statement by the players read, “As a squad, we understand your frustration, your anger. It wasn’t good enough. We know words aren’t enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts.

Adding, “We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind, we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James’ Park. We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us. Together – and only together – can we move things forward.”