It is fair to say that Tottenham have endured a bit of a PR nightmare since the Government’s coronavirus lockdown began.
Spurs were one of the first clubs to announce that they would be cutting wages of non-playing staff by 20 per cent while also applying for the Government’s furlough scheme, a decision they later reversed after receiving public backlash.
In addition, several of Tottenham’s first-team players, as well as Jose Mourinho (Guardian), have been spotted breaking the UK Government’s lockdown guidelines.
However, the club have also been proactive in helping the NHS in their fight against COVID-19. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is being used to house the North Middlesex Hospital Women’s Outpatient Services and to operate drive-through COVID-19 testing and swabbing for NHS staff.
The club has also confirmed that the venue is being used to produce as many 1000 face shields per week for NHS staff on the front-line of the pandemic.
Mourinho has claimed that a lot of the club’s good work has gone under the radar and Spurs have been unfairly criticised despite doing their part in the fight against COVID-19.
The Spurs boss told Sky Sports (as relayed by the Metro): “I am doing that because I feel so proud about what my club is doing and I’m doing nothing. The club is being absolutely amazing.
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“I don’t think people have the idea of what the club is doing, the people have no idea about what is happening in this stadium. And when you do good things, you don’t need to make them public. You do it because you do it with your heart and I think that’s what my club is doing.
“But sometimes I feel a bit sorry because the club is being absolutely amazing since we are in this fight against Covid-19 and I am so proud of the club. So what I do is nothing in a club that is doing so much.”
Mourinho also revealed that, although he was reluctant to be filmed, he eventually agreed as the club’s good work hasn’t been publicised.
He added: “I accept you, I accept the camera, because of my club. Because I feel it’s really unfair towards my club.
“I just feel so proud about it. I think as any Tottenham supporter that knows 10% of what the club is doing and what the people that are in this stadium working are doing, I think only 10% would be enough for everyone to be proud.
“And it would be enough for anyone not a Tottenham supporter to feel grateful for what the club is doing. That is the reason why I accept that, because I think the club deserves that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Jose certainly has a point as, despite the criticism Tottenham have received for their response, they have done more than any other Premier League club to help the NHS in the fight against the pandemic. Unfortunately, a lot of the bad press the club has received is through their own doing. So, the club only has themselves to blame.
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