Tottenham have been warned by the Crown Prosecution Service that fans could face criminal action for their continued use of the Y-word, according to The Telegraph.
The term was originally a racial slur aimed at the Jewish community in the 1970s, which was picked up by opposition fans to direct anti-semitic abuse towards Tottenham supporters.
Spurs’ historical links and strong Jewish following led to fans appropriating the term as their own as a stand against the abuse and to show a collective pride in the club’s history.
However, there has been long-standing controversy on the Y-word’s use, with Spurs recently telling its supporters to ‘assess the appropriateness’ of their use of the word going forward (The Athletic).
The Telegraph now report there could be a crackdown on fans chanting the word with the CPS warning criminal action could take place for use of an ‘abusive and outdated’ term.
A spokesperson from the CPS said: “Discriminatory chanting has a severe negative impact on football and fans and we are continuing to work with football authorities, clubs, and charities to push this offensive behaviour out of the game.
“Chanting helps create the atmosphere that makes football great but any chants that are racist, homophobic or anti-Semitic could be a hate crime and we will not hesitate to prosecute anyone accused of these actions where there is sufficient evidence and in the public interest.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The term definitely splits opinion as there are points from both sides that are equally valid. Some find it offensive from its historical connotations while others see it as a term against the abuse of years ago. It will be hard to monitor its use every match-day for example, with so many fans electing to chant it.
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