Tottenham players to reimburse cost of tickets for fans who witnessed Newcastle humiliation

Tottenham’s players have offered to reimburse the cost of match tickets for supporters who travelled to their 6-1 defeat at Newcastle. Spurs were five goals behind within 21 minutes at St James’ Park as they suffered an humiliating defeat against their rivals for a top-four spot.

Chairman Daniel Levy sacked caretaker manager Cristian Stellini the day after the loss and now the club’s players have offered to refund fans who bought tickets for the match.

Clubs should not have to refund fans for a bad performance

By Thom Gibbs

When the UK-wide emergency alarm sounded on (most of) our phones last Sunday we were assured it was just a drill. It did not feel that way for Tottenham supporters.

It arrived shortly after their team conceded five goals in 21 minutes to Newcastle United, and ever since the club has been mobilising a disaster response plan to placate their understandably livid fans.

First they tried a consolation goal, then they tried sacking the acting head coach via a personal address from chairman “call me Daniel” Levy, which was signed off with “COYS, Daniel”. Apparently that stood for “Come on you Spurs” rather than “coating off your supporters.”

Stage four: the fan refund offer. This is a tried and tested response to the most harrowing defeats, and exactly what many angry fans were reflexively suggesting in the immediate aftermath. It is an easy thing to say and an easy thing to do, although no indication yet about how to apply for reimbursement. The club, presumably, are processing refunds as we speak after a whip-round at the world-class training facility.

“As a squad we understand your frustration, your anger,” said the players via typed white text on a navy background. “It wasn’t good enough. We know words aren’t enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts. We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James’ Park.

“We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us. Together – and only together – can we move things forward.”

All very nice, as is a refunded match ticket, although transport to Newcastle from London probably cost a good deal more. But there is a fundamental misunderstanding here about the nature of supporting a football team, especially away from home.

Long ago, all regular away fans stopped equating the cost of a ticket with the expectation of a good time. For most clubs’ weathered support, going to an away match is an end in itself. The football is frequently the only low point of an otherwise pleasant day on the razz with friends.

High sums are spent on an experience just as likely to leave you deflated as elated, which marks out supporting a football team in person as a unique part of our sporting culture. It is why there is such anger at times of negligence like Spurs’ performance on Sunday. It is patronising to think that these fans are such dupes their obedient devotion can be re-bought for the price of admission to the Leazes End.

Of course it is better that Tottenham’s players have acknowledged their own deficiencies. It is positive that they had the initiative to organise, or have agreed to the suggestion of, this refund. But the club wants you to think this is all about their match-attending supporters and their loyalty. If that were true this refund would have been communicated directly to the 3,000 away fans in attendance at St James’ Park, not the 8.6 million followers of @SpursOfficial on Twitter.

So hats off, slightly reluctantly, for Tottenham’s players putting their hands into their deep pockets. But beware the weaponising of travelling fans as just another marketable asset of the football product.

Their contribution is essential to the vitality of the Premier League, but they are seen as little more than a novelty compared to its billions of consumers around the world. Make no mistake, this gesture is for the many, not the few.