André Villas-Boas sees 'no problem' with Tottenham fans' 'Yid' chants

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/18/andre-villas-boas-tottenham-chants

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André-Villas Boas has said he sees "no problem" with Tottenham Hotspur fans using the word "Yid" in the wake of the intervention of the prime minister, David Cameron, in the contentious debate.

"I think our fans sing it with pride, it is something that they defend. It is not sung with offence," said Tottenham's manager. "I see no problem with it. The problem is finding out what is seen as an offence. That is why the FA has come out and made a statement, so hopefully this won't become a debate that leads nowhere."

On Saturday Spurs fans defied an FA statement that urged all fans to stop using the term and warned they risked prosecution and a banning order if they did so. While acknowledging the complexities of the debate, the FA said that for the sake of clarity and consistency, all supporters should refrain from using the term.

The FA's stance was backed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and other Jewish groups but Cameron this week told the Jewish Chronicle that Spurs fans should not be prosecuted for using the term.

Spurs fans have long argued that by singing "Yid Army" they are reclaiming the term from those who use it to abuse them but others say they are helping perpetuate its use and causing offence.

Villas-Boas said he also had no problem with Cameron weighing into the debate and said his intervention would have pleased Spurs fans. "He can get involved anywhere, he is the prime minister," the coach said before the Europa League tie against Tromso on Thursday. "I think his intervention was probably what Spurs fans would want to hear. It was straightforward in what he came out with and it was clear."

The club are continuing to consult their fans over the issue. But Clarke Carlisle, the chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, said he agreed with those, such as the comedian David Baddiel, who have called for the chants to stop.

"Do they have a right to appropriate that term when it would be indescribably offensive to anyone else?" said Carlisle. "It is not for them to appropriate a derogatory offensive term that was used to belittle a whole section of society in a terrible era.

"Spurs fans may not intend it to be offensive but it will be perceived to be offensive by a section of the community and the law states that's not allowed. It's not even my personal opinion, that's what the law states."

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