Spurs boss blasts Belgrade ‘racist’, ’anti-Semitic’ banner after Europa League clash
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino blasted an anti-Semitic banner unfurled by Partizan Belgrade fans as “unacceptable” and “disrespectful” after European football was again embroiled in a racism row.
A huge banner bearing the words “Only Jews and Pussies” was displayed throughout Thursday’s Europa League match between the two teams in the Serbian capital.
“I didn’t see but the club is aware. And if it is true, that it is very disrespectful,” Pochettino told the British media after the game which ended in a 0-0 draw.
North London club Tottenham have long enjoyed close links with the Jewish community.
Disrespectful, unacceptable
“It is a shame as it was a great atmosphere. It is very disrespectful, unacceptable and a massive problem for us.”
Partizan were kicked out of the UEFA Cup in 2007 for hooligan-related problems and the club is certain to face more sanctions following Thursday’s incident.
On the pitch, Tottenham, in their fourth Europa League campaign, made no fewer than 10 changes from the side that drew with Sunderland in the Premier League at the weekend, with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris the only survivor.
Harry Kane almost gave the north Londoners a dream start to their bid to get out of Group C, his first minute attempt hitting the bar.
But despite looking dangerous on occasions Tottenham lacked the killer touch and were unable to find a way through Partizan’s defence. - AFP
Full results:
Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-1 Villarreal
Apollon Limassol 3-2 FC Zürich
Club Brugge 0-0 Torino
FC Copenhagen 2-0 HJK Helsinki
Partizan Belgrade 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Besiktas 1-1 Asteras Tripolis
Salzburg 2-2 Celtic
Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 FC Astra
PSV Eindhoven 1-0 Estoril
Panathinaikos 1-2 Dinamo Moscow
Qarabag 0-0 Saint-Etienne
Dnipropetrovsk 0-1 Inter Milan
Belgium Standard Liege 2-0 Rijeka
Sevilla 2-0 Feyenoord
Lille 1-1 FC Krasnodar
Everton 4-1 VfL Wolfsburg
Young Boys 5-0 Slovan Bratislava
Napoli 3-1 Sparta Prague
Steaua Bucharest 6-0 Aalborg
Rio Ave 0-3 Dynamo Kiev
PAOK 6-1 Dinamo Minsk
Fiorentina 3-0 Guingamp
Metalist Kharkiv 1-2 Trabzonspor
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Lokeren
Source: AFP
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