The LGBT fan-group Proud LilyWhites have released a statement concerning the arrival of deadline day signing Serge Aurier, who was disciplined by former club PSG last year due to issues over homophobia.
The 24 year old, who officially signed for the club yesterday for a fee of £23 million, was filmed using a homophobic slur to describe the ex-PSG manager Laurent Blanc in 2016.
After initially denying the video’s authenticity, the full-back was suspended for two months by the club after Aurier eventually confessed his involvement.
Now that the Ivorian has signed for Spurs, the LGBT fan-group Proud LilyWhites has released the following statement:
“We were initially unhappy with the signing, but given our positive dialogue with the Club we would like to use this as an opportunity to build bridges and make lasting change.”
“Football has the power to transform individuals’ lives and entire communities. At its best, it doesn’t merely delight us: it can provide us with a chance to transcend geographical boundaries and learn to work and play and celebrate together.”
“Players, Clubs and the Football Authorities need to take this responsibility seriously, so what happens when players such as Serge Aurier who have been openly homophobic in the past join a new Club and have a fresh start?”
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“It actually gives us an opportunity to talk about the kind of game we want to see, players we want to support; the kind of Clubs we want to be and make effective and deep-rooted change.”
“We’ve already done great work with Stewards, Club staff and fans and look forward to working with the Club and other supporters, to show Serge Aurier that Spurs fans are incredibly diverse, welcoming and loyal.”
“Welcome to the famous Tottenham Hotspur Serge, we look forward to you getting to know us.”
Aurier himself defined his move to Spurs as a fresh-start, as the incident was one of many that found him out-of-favour in France.
The 24 year old was only able to move to the UK when given a work permit by the home office after the full-back was able to convert his conviction of assault on a police officer to a mere fine.
Do you have any concerns about Aurier’s arrival?
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