REAL RACE ROW
Spurs outrage at claims they are hated for Jewish heritage
ToTTenham are furious that their preparations for tonight’s Champions League clash with Real madrid have been marred by claims they are widely hated for their Jewish heritage.
The slurs formed part of a full-page article in
Marca, a madrid-based sports paper closely allied to Real, which attempted to recount the club’s rich history but contained many inaccuracies and insensitive phrases.
a Tottenham statement said: ‘ We are astonished that a publication such as Marca, which presents itself as an alleged source of professional journalism, has seen fit to publish such an article which is blatantly wrong and wholly distasteful.’
Marca issued an apology but the insult had landed and did not impress the hierarchy at Spurs, where many suspect the Spanish media of trying to unsettle harry Kane ahead of the game by linking him with a
£170million move to Real. Manager Zinedine Zidane did not quash the theory when asked about Kane, hailing him as a ‘complete player’. Zidane said: ‘I don’t know what will happen in the future. In the present, I know what he’s doing. He’s key player for Tottenham, very good at everything, but he always does it all towards the goal. He does not stay still. He takes the space with speed and he’s very good. He’s a complete player. He didn’t seem to be but in the end he is. We know he’s a very good player.’ Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked if he might like to succeed Zidane at the Bernabeu Stadium. His response was to summon comments from Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who revealed he would like the Argentine to stay at the club for 10 to 15 years. ‘If he wants, I would love to sign that contract,’ said a smiling Pochettino, who has a deal until 2021. ‘I don’t like to lie, and I could not coach Barcelona, for many reasons which we shouldn’t get too deep into. I hope I stay for 10 to 15 years at Tottenham. It’s up to Daniel. It’s always up to the owner or chairman to decide if you stay for a short or long period. ‘I’m so happy. I’m enjoying my time at Tottenham. It’s a club with big potential, and a new stadium and facilities which will be the best in Europe. And, at the same time, we’ve got a competitive team and are trying to win a trophy. But I am happy to hear Daniel is being so kind to me and telling everyone what to expect.’ Left back Ben Davies was ill and unable to travel with the Spurs squad but Danny Rose, who has not played since January, and Mousa Dembele have been included after recovering from injury. Dele Alli joined his team-mates as they trained in the Bernabeu last night despite being unavailable tonight because he is serving the final game of a three-match ban.