T-Shirts Depicting British-Jewish Footballer as Hassid With Sidelocks ‘Spurs’ Club to Take Action Against Peddlers
by Shiryn Ghermezian
A player from the Tottenham Hotspurs. The Chelsea soccer club will take action against the peddlars of T-shirts depicting forward Harry Kane as a Hassidic Jew. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The London-based Chelsea Football Club will reportedly take action to stop unofficial retailers from selling T-shirts featuring a player dressed as a Hassidic Jew, the UK’s Jewish Chronicle reported on Tuesday.
The shirts depict Jewish athlete Harry Kane, a forward for the Tottenham Hotspur, dressed in the type of black coat and hat typically worn by Hassidic Jews. Kane also sports sidecurls, otherwise known as peyot. Underneath the image are the words, “He’s one of your own,” a reference to a chant about the soccer player sung by “Spurs” fans.
The T-shirts were being sold outside Chelsea F.C.’s Stamford Bridge soccer stadium after its match against Manchester United last Sunday, according to The Jewish Chronicle. The garments were being sold from a large stall on private property located on Fulham Road, where the stadium is located.
“It’s hugely disappointing that in 2016 anyone could think this was acceptable,” Katrina Law, of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, told the UK’s The Times. “There’s often an edge to football humor but there is also a line which we’re sure the vast majority of Chelsea fans would recognize. We trust appropriate actions will be taken by Hammersmith and Fulham Council Trading Standards and by Chelsea.”
The Algemeiner previously reported that Tottenham is referred to as the “Yid” (short for Yiddish) by their fans, and many supporters of the club refer to themselves as the “Yid Army,” referring to the historically Jewish nature of the London neighborhood where the team’s stadium is situated. The fans and the club have often been the target of antisemitic abuse.
Outside of Sunday’s match, the unofficial retailer was also selling a T-shirt showing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dressed in short red pants, with the words, “With a pack of sweets and a cheeky smile,” a line from a song sung by many football fans who allege he is a pedophile. Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been informed of the nature and sale of the T-shirts.
