By Arun Sandaradura
On Wednesday, the 15th of May the Manchester City team travelled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on Spurs in what looked to be a thriller. Except, there was one issue, Spurs fans WANTED to lose.
You see, there is a deep rivalry between Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal that has been dividing North London for decades, and It just so happened that on the second last game of the season, Spurs were taking on Arsenal’s title rivals Manchester City. The current title race is down to the wire with any slip up from City possibly costing them their 8th premier league title. A loss in this game would mean that all Arsenal would have to do is beat 15th place Everton at the Emirates. Furthermore, a draw against Spurs for Man City would just need Arsenal to keep their 3 goal difference superiority.
So, how did Spurs fans feel about the game? Well, with the reigning champs winning against Spurs, Mikel Arteta’s team’s chance for the title is hanging by a thread. If City wins on Sunday, they’ll grab the Premier League trophy for the fourth time in a row. One Spurs fan, Nathan, shared his joy on Twitter, saying it was a perfect evening. Billie was relieved to see Son miss a last-minute chance that could’ve tied the game, asking tattoo artists for a special design. The Spurs Express page thanked Son and Pedro Porro, who made a late mistake, sealing the win for Man City. They posted an appreciation message for both players. Meanwhile, an account called Simply Spurs made fun of rival fans who supported Spurs against Man City.
What is the bigger picture? Just like Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou brought up in the post-match conference, this really highlights the fragile foundations of the club and emphasises the disturbed philosophy of football fans. Ange underscored this when he said he understands “the rivalry, but [have] never and will never understand if someone wants their own team to lose”. This really begs the question if we are truly supporting the sport or just our own prejeduce.