After the strong protest against the Premier League Big Six clubs which included Tottenham Hotspur, the club have now made an announcement to make up for their past mistake.
Tottenham Hotspur has released an official statement stating that they will be establishing a Club Advisory Panel comprised of elected representatives from different sections of the club’s fanbase. Another Big Six Premier League club, Chelsea has also announced supporter’s representation at the board level
Tottenham Hotspur’s official statement on Tuesday, read: “We have all learnt lessons from recent events and have reviewed fan engagement as a priority.”
“As a result we shall be liaising with key stakeholders and establishing a Club Advisory Panel, comprised of elected representatives from the different constituencies of our fanbase, inclusive and reflective of our fans’ diversity. The Chair of this Panel will be appointed annually as a full Non-Executive of the Club Board. We believe this provides for authentic, genuine representation and will ensure fans are at the heart of Club decision-making, something we greatly welcome.”
“The selection criteria, mandate and constitution will be developed by independent advisors in consultation with fan groups to ensure it is truly representative of our supporter base. Further details will be released in due course. Going forward we shall constantly look to review and improve these new lines of consultation. We shall also fully support the government review into football governance.”
The club have once again expressed regret at their involvement in the European Super League proposals, especially that the fans were not consulted beforehand: “We have seen football fans around the world come together to show their strength of feeling regarding the future of the game we all feel so passionately about, with strong views expressed on the proposed establishment of a new European Super League (ESL).”
“It’s important to underline that we entered the ESL with the expectation that the format, rules and structures would evolve through dialogue with key parties, namely the Premier League, FA, UEFA, FIFA and, crucially, fans. It should never have been conveyed with certainty when it was in fact a framework agreement for consultation going forward.”
“We should have challenged and reconsidered the annual access system. We wholeheartedly regret that we involved the Club and that the legal process itself meant we were unable to consult our fans early on – we apologise unreservedly.”
The club’s statement further added: “We are disappointed that the Board of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) has not yet met with the Club,”
“The THST, with whom we have worked and, indeed, promoted, for 20 years has called for the resignations of the Executive Board over the ESL – individuals who have lived and breathed this Club for the best part of two decades. We have offered on several occasions to meet Board-to-Board and discuss an open agenda – excluding a change of Club ownership and the resignation of the Board. Our door remains open on this basis.”
