It is the famous chant which has echoed out from the terraces of White Hart Lane for generations – but now Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur is asking its fans to stop using the ‘Y’ word.
More than 40 years ago, Spurs fans adopted the word as an act of defiance in the face of routine racism from rival club supporters.
However, following a consultation with supporters, Spurs say it’s now time for fans to consider consigning the ‘Y’ word to club history.
The move was welcomed by the government’s antisemitism adviser Lord John Mann, who praised Spurs for taking a “bold and important initiative” amid growing signs the word was being hijacked again by rival fans as a term of abuse. He added that the chant “has had its day”.
The consultation, which began in the summer of 2020 and was delayed because of Covid, attracted more than 24,000 responses. It revealed 94 per cent of supporters thought the Y word could be considered a racist term and should be banished from Spur’s new ground.
In a statement, the club said: “The term continues to be used up to the present day by some of our supporters. We have always maintained that our fans have never used it with any deliberate attempt to offend.
“Indeed, among the reasons some fans choose to continue to chant the term now is to show unity and support for the team, as well as each other, as a defence mechanism against antisemitic abuse that still exists and also as a way to identify as a Spurs fan.
“Outside of a football setting, however, an overwhelming majority of our fans acknowledged in the first stage of our latest consultation that the Y-word can be considered as a racist term against a Jewish person and that they would therefore not use it in such a context.”
In focus groups, fans said they felt uncomfortable with the word’s use during matches and even supporters who used it said they would be prepared to stop if it was causing offence. It also emerged that younger fans had little understanding either of the term’s meaning or the historical context behind chanting it.
The club said: “The adoption of the Y-word by our supporters from the late 1970s was a positive response to the lack of action taken by others around this issue. An increasing number of our fans now wish to see positive change again with the reduction of its use, something we welcome and shall look to support.
“We acknowledge that any reassessment of the use of this term needs to be a collaborative effort between the club and its fans. We shall be working to further outline the historical context of the term, to explain the offence it can cause and to embrace the times in which we now live to show why it can be considered inappropriate, regardless of context.”
The club has now launched a new site, called the ‘WhY Word online hub’ which sets out the issues and history around the word’s use. It will also ask fans in home game programmes to consider not using the word.
This, the statement says, is part of its drive to combat all forms of racism as a “progressive and inclusive club”.
The statement adds: “Antisemitism remains a serious issue in football and more needs to be done to combat it. We believe that antisemitic abuse must be given the same zero tolerance that other forms of discriminatory behaviour receive.”
Lord John Mann, the Government’s antisemitism adviser, said: “The use of the Y-Word as a defiant response from Jewish Spurs supporters was important in its time. However, increasingly its aggressive misuse to abuse Spurs, its fans, the club, and its owners has had negative consequences elsewhere.
“There are more people using the Y-Word identifier who repeat antisemitic tropes than those who identify as being Jewish. The recent abuse from an open top bus in Stamford Hill, shows very vividly that this bold and important Tottenham Hotspur initiative is timely and the use of the Y-Word in football and in society has had its day. Kick It Out is launching a major education and training programme to enhance the tools available across the footballing world to support and deliver this change. I congratulate Tottenham Hotspur on their announcement and trust that other clubs will play their part in eradicating the use of the Y-Word throughout football.”
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