JEWISH SLURS SPARK ANGER

TOTTENHAM reacted with outrage as they landed in Spain to find preparations for the Bernabeu clash had been marred by claims they were 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. ‘We are astonished that

Marca, which presents itself as an alleged source of professional journalism, has seen fit to publish an article which is wrong and wholly distasteful,’ said Spurs in a statement.

Marca issued an apology, but that didn’t wash with the hierarchy at Tottenham, where many suspect the Spanish media of trying to unsettle Harry Kane ahead of the game by linking the England striker with a £170million move to Real Madrid. Real manager Zinedine Zidane hailed him as a ‘complete player’. ‘I don’t know what will happen in the future,’ said Zidane. ‘In the present, I know what he’s doing. He’s a very important player, a key player for Tottenham. ‘He is 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 really good player and things are going well for him.’ Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked at a press conference if he might one day like to succeed Zidane at the Bernabeu Stadium. His response was to summon comments from Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who would like the 45-year-old Argentine to stay at the club for 10-15 years. ‘I hope I stay for 10-15 years. It’s up to Daniel,’ he said. ‘I could not coach Barcelona, for many reasons which we shouldn’t get into.’