‘Back to tokenism’ – Finance expert blasts Tottenham for recent decision 

Football finance expert, Kieran Maguire has blasted Tottenham Hotspur for refusing to meet with their official supporters’ group, accusing the North London club of treating fans with contempt.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) had written to the club requesting a meeting with the Executive Board to discuss both the short and long-term strategic vision of the football club.

The Trust revealed they had done so after an increasing number of Trust members and fans expressed great concern over the direction in which the club is headed.

However, they confirmed a few days ago that the club had declined to speak with them and that an emergency meeting of THST’s Board will be held in the coming days to discuss their options.

The club’s decision to snub the THST has not gone down with some fans, many of whom saw it as evidence that the Spurs hierarchy do not care about the supporters or of the team’s on-pitch success. 

Maguire believes that Tottenham’s latest snub to THST is further evidence that Premier League clubs treat the concerns of match-going fans as mere tokenism.

He told Football Insider: “I think the original mea culpa of the Premier League Super League clubs has evaporated.

“We are now back to tokenism in terms of true engagement and listening to fans’ concerns.

“Fans are there to be held in contempt, monetised, and provide a backdrop for the television audience.

“This is indicative of the sheer contempt in which Spurs fans and many other fans are held. It’s disgraceful.

“And that is by the people who are in charge of the day-to-day running of their club, who are meant to represent them.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

It is increasingly becoming a reality that Europe’s biggest clubs are paying more attention to their global fanbase than over the ‘legacy’ fans, who are the heart and soul of the football club. That is certainly a development that is affecting the game adversely.

However, I believe the behaviour of the THST has been bordering on childish. One should not forget that they had the audacity to demand the resignation of the entire Executive Board last season despite the club’s reversing their decision to sign up to the Europa Super League.

While I have always been a huge critic of the Super League, the fact that THST were not even willing to meet with the board to discuss why they made the decision to sign up for the competition, did not sit well with me. 

After overplaying their hand in the Super League fiasco, THST now have the audacity to call for a meeting with the same Executive Board (who have obviously not resigned) to discuss the club’s long-term objectives. 

If they were going to do that, they should have at least waited for a few months, particularly considering that we are at the start of a new era under Paratici and Nuno. I do not blame the club for turning down their request to meet.

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