English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have asked their supporters to avoid using the anti-Semitic term “Yid Army” in the future, which parts of the fan base use to describe themselves.
The London football club had commissioned a study that revealed, among other things, that many Spurs fans feel uncomfortable when the controversial word is heard during games. It has also been shown that many younger Spurs supporters do not know the historical context, the club said.
Tottenham Hotspur traditionally has a large Jewish fan base. Fans originally started using the “Y word” and calling themselves that 40 years ago. They wanted to counter the anti-Semitic chants of opposing football fans, which at the time still remained unpunished.
“We have always emphasized that our fans have never used the word to intentionally offend,” Spurs said. In fact, it is a “defense mechanism against anti-Semitic insults, which still exist.” Nevertheless, “regardless of the context and intention” it is time to “use less of the word or stop using it altogether”.
Spurs statement: ‘Anti-Semitism remains a serious problem in football’
The term has been discussed for a number of years and, despite social developments and criticism from some football fans – including those from other clubs – fans at Tottenham games keep shouting and singing it loudly. However, the study showed that even Spurs supporters who actually wanted to continue using the term were willing to stop if other Spurs fans felt hurt by it.
“Anti-Semitism remains a serious problem in football,” the Spurs website said, “and more needs to be done to combat it. We believe anti-Semitic slurs should be met with zero tolerance, just like other forms of discriminatory behavior. It should not be left to a minority in football to address and push this.”