(Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur will have fan representation on their board, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as they look to make amends following their involvement in the attempt to create a breakaway European Super League last month.
Spurs were among the six Premier League clubs who signed up for the Super League.
However, they withdrew within 48 hours of the initial launch amid a storm of protests from fans, players, managers and governments, alongside threats of bans and sanctions from the game’s European and world governing bodies UEFA and FIFA.
Spurs said they would establish a Club Advisory Panel, comprised of elected representatives from the different constituencies of their fanbase, the chair of which will sit on the board.
“We have all learnt lessons from recent events and have reviewed fan engagement as a priority,” Spurs said in a statement.
“The Chair of the panel will be appointed annually as a full Non-Executive of the Club Board … 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.”
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (THST) had called for the resignation of the club’s board following the aborted breakaway and Spurs said they were disappointed the trust had turned down their advances to meet.
“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,” Spurs said.
“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.”
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
