Tottenham fans defy FA with ‘Yid’ chants at White Hart Lane

Tottenham fans defied instruction from the Football Association to stop using the term ‘Yid’ as a section of their supporters chanted the derogatory word in the build-up to their Barclays Premier League clash with Norwich.

For decades some opposition fans have cruelly played on the club’s links with the Jewish community and launched anti-Semitic abuse towards Spurs supporters.

In response to the derogatory chanting aimed their way, Tottenham fans branded themselves the “Yid Army” and often describe themselves as “Yids” in order to mock those who use the term against them.

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But the FA does not see that as a justification for the use of the word from home or away fans at White Hart Lane and released a statement on Monday urging football fans to avoid using the word.

“The FA considers that for the betterment of the game, rules on acceptable behaviour and language need to be simple, understandable and applicable to all people at all levels of the game,” it read.

“As such, the FA considers that the use of the term ‘Yid’ is likely to be considered offensive by the reasonable observer and considers the term to be inappropriate in a football setting. The FA would encourage fans to avoid using it in any situation.”

But the request did not stop a number of Spurs fans singing “Yid Army” in the lead-up to Saturday’s 2-0 win over Norwich, with calls of “We’ll sing what we want” also heard around White Hart Lane.