Tottenham Hotspur fans sung the Y-word during their Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday despite the club asking their fans to “move on” from using it.
Following a review, as first reported by The Athletic in November, the north London club released a statement on Thursday stating: “We believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our club.”
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The review revealed that of 23,000 responses, 94 per cent acknowledged the term could be used as a racist term towards Jewish people.
Fans, however, chanted the Y-word at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium within the first minute of the match.
The club’s fans have held a decades-long association with the word and its variants.
The word, though not meant to cause offence when used by Tottenham fans, is described by Jewish charity The Community Security Trust (CST) as an “antisemitic insult”.
The Athletic understands the club are set to launch a campaign to try and provide fans with more information about the word and its origins, as well as historical context as to why it is so harmful.
A Tottenham statement read: “We are living in times of heightened awareness of cultural appropriation and sensitivities. It is therefore crucial to the values of our club and our fans that we are even more mindful of the controversial nature of this term.
“Our supporters' use of the Y-word was initially taken as a positive step to deflect antisemitic abuse that they were subjected to at matches more than 40 years ago from opposition fans, who faced no sanctions for their actions.
“As a club, we always strive to create a welcoming environment that embraces all our fans so that every one of our supporters can feel included in the matchday experience.
“It is clear the use of this term does not always make this possible, regardless of context and intention, and that there is a growing desire and acknowledgment from supporters that the Y-word should be used less or stop being used altogether.
“We recognise how these members of our fanbase feel and we also believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our club.”
Kick It Out's antisemitism ambassador John Mann said: “From the analysis I have done, those who use the Y-word as a Spurs linked identifier on social media are overwhelmingly not Jewish, nor ever advocate any positives about Jewish life.
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“There are more people using the y-word identifier who repeat antisemitic tropes, than those who identify as being Jewish.
“I congratulate Tottenham Hotspur on their announcement to address the Y-word and trust that other clubs will play their part in eradicating its use throughout football.”
What else do I need to know?
Charlie Eccleshare and Jack Pitt-Brooke explored the past, present and future of the Y-word in November. Go Deeper below.
(Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
GO DEEPER
Spurs fans and the Y-word: What happens next?
