Inside World Football

November 13 – Sports and technology are increasingly intertwined from player metrics to keeping fans happy in the stands. The latest club to collaborate with a tech partner is Tottenham Hotspur who have announced a strategic partnership with ExpressVPN, a global leader in consumer digital privacy and security.

The two-year partnership marks ExpressVPN’s debut in global football sponsorship. Spurs hope to enhance the club’s digital infrastructure while offering added value to fans. The agreement between the two will span multiple areas.

– Digital Integration: Tottenham Hotspur will integrate ExpressVPN’s advanced privacy solutions across its digital platforms. This will help secure the club’s internal communications, safeguard sensitive data, and enhance online transactions for fans.

– Marketing Collaboration: ExpressVPN will leverage Tottenham’s vast global audience to boost brand awareness, particularly in key markets such as Western Europe. The partnership will include:

– Social Media Campaigns: Collaborative content on the club’s digital channels, highlighting the benefits of using ExpressVPN for online privacy.

– In-Stadium Branding: ExpressVPN will have visibility on LED boards during home matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, exposing the brand to both live spectators and global TV audiences.

ExpressVPN chose Spurs as a partner because of the global following which runs into millions of fans across social media and market visibility, which are key for ExpressVPN’s growth.

ExpressVPN, will be hoping that the North London club can improve with performances on the pitch though. Ange Postecoglou, the current manager is under intense pressure after a series of calamitous losses, and the calls for a replacement are growing.

In the last 10 years, including both permanent and caretaker managers, Tottenham has had eight different stabs at finding a magician with the right wand to make Spurs…well, less Spursy!

October 24 – Fresh from making a tidy sum of money brokering and then selling her stake in Newcastle United, Amanda Staveley is rumoured to have her eye on another Premier League club in the form of Tottenham Hotspur.

Staveley was recently seen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium watching the other football, namely the NFL, when the venue hosted, the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The former part-owner of the Magpies was one of the key drivers in brokering the highly controversial Saudi-backed takeover of the North-east club while playing a key-role in day-to-day operations for three years.

Spurs, the great Premier League underachievers, have been openly expressing the need to attract new investment partners. ENIC, the current owners of the North London club have had a 24 year-reign, while the current chairman, Daniel Levy has had 20 years in the hot seat.

Back in April, Levy shocked many observers when he declared his plans for the future of the club saying: “To capitalise on our long-term potential, to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the Club requires a significant increase in its equity base..,” “The Board and its advisors, Rothschild & Co, are in discussions with prospective investors. Any recommended investment proposal would require the support of the Club’s shareholders.”

Levy, who is the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman, has overseen the building of a state-of-the-art stadium, and the club’s sustained presence in European competitions but can only boast one trophy, namely the League Cup. With their rivals, most notably Chelsea and Arsenal consistently in the upper echelon of the league, the time could be right for Levy to seek a different challenge.

People close to Staveley think her interest in Spurs is genuine, and believe she has the relationships and experience to attract investors from the USA and to revisit the Middle East.

The aim would be to purchase a minority stake in the club, and then utilize her skills as a disruptor to further the ambitions of the club. Under Levy, Spurs have traditionally been highly conservative in both the buying and selling of players. Levy is well known as one of the toughest negotiators in football.

Fans of the club have long had a love/hate relationship with Levy, and bringing in someone like Staveley will be seen as a break from the past and a look to the future. She has a reputation as a deal-maker, however, any potential deal with Spurs will require a high-wire act of hand-holding combined with a ruthlessness that may make some at the club feel uneasy.

September 13 – English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have teamed up with Ant International, a digital payment and financial technology leader, in a three-year deal.

Ant International and its business brands Alipay+, Antom and WorldFirst have come on board to provide supporters with payment services both at Tottenham’s stadium and online.

Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman said: “The Club and Ant International are fully aligned as we look to deepen connections with our football fans through digital interactions. We shall also be supporting the growth in awareness of the Ant International brand across our extensive global platforms as an elite Premier League Club.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ant International was a UEFA partner during the last two European championships.

“This aligns with Ant International’s mission in our globalization – leveraging technological innovation to provide individuals and small businesses with greater access to inclusive financial services,” said Yang Peng, Chief Executive Officer of Ant International.

“Tottenham Hotspur has the forward-looking vision of leveraging cutting-edge technologies to enhance fan experience. We resonate with the Club’s ‘To Dare is To Do’ spirit and look forward to working closely with Tottenham Hotspur to engage with its global fanbase through our innovative payment and digitalisation solutions, inspiring the 1.6 billion consumers served by Alipay+ and its partners through the sport and the Club.”

August 16 – Tottenham Hotspur’s Mali international midfielder Yves Bissouma will miss the start of the Premier League season after being suspended by the club following an investigation into social media footage showing him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide, or laughing gas.

Bissouma has been ruled out of Tottenham’s Premier League opener at newly promoted Leicester on Monday.

Possession of nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas – for recreational use has been a criminal offence in the United Kingdom since 2023 and can result in a two-year prison sentence for repeat offenders.

“We’ve suspended him for Monday’s game,” said Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou. “The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him to realise the decisions he makes impact more than just him. Hopefully it allows him to make better decisions moving forward.”

Bissouma, who joined Spurs from Brighton for £30 million in 2022, had played 45 minutes in the friendly loss to Bayern Munich last Saturday. Later that day he posted a video of himself on social media which showed him inhaling from a balloon.

The 27-year-old has since apologised for what he described as a “severe lack of judgement”.

“I want to apologise for these videos. I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”

June 28 – Tottenham Hotspur have announced a partnership with Citygreen Sports Group to become the Official Synthetic Turf Supplier to the Club for the 2024-25 season.

The club, who have earned the title as the Premier League’s ‘greenest club’, will be working with Citygreen on the installation of a new synthetic pitch at their training centre in Enfield to provide an environmentally friendly surface which aims to improve the quality of training sessions and supports player development.

The synthetic turf pitch serves the men’s and women’s Academy teams and community events year-round.

Paul May, Training Centre Director of Operations at Spurs, said: “It is fantastic to be working with Citygreen for the forthcoming season as we look to further enhance the facilities at our world-class Training Centre. This partnership will help the development of players that visit the campus throughout the year, as well as aligning with our mission to reduce our environmental impact across Club activities.”

Spurs visit Asia this summer on their pre-season tour, facing J-League champions Vissel Kobe in Japan before travelling to South Korea for matches versus the K League Allstars and FC Bayern Munich.

June 13 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have announced BP brands bp pulse as Official EV Charging Partner of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Castrol as Official Partner of both the men’s and women’s teams.

bp pulse is the clean energy business of oil giant British Petroleum and part of the its plans to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.

The EV charging business is working to increase the speed of its roll out of charging hubs across the country and the deal with Spurs will see it bring EV charging stations across its sites.

Ryan Norys, chief revenue officer, Tottenham Hotspur, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with yet another world-renowned brand in bp. The partnership will offer exciting opportunities for our fans and customers across the globe, while helping supporters travel to our matches sustainably through subsidised, shared travel and increased EV provision.”

No value or term was given for the deal.

BP’s Castrol brand has a long history of football sponsorship including with the Premier League and the FIFA World Cup in the past.

The Spurs deal will see the creation of an ‘Away Fans Travel Fund’ with the club to support subsidised shared travel at select away matches for both the men’s and women’s teams.

Castrol will also activate its sponsorship through digital promotions and overseas activations.

Nicola Buck, senior vice president of marketing for bp, said: “With our history of football partnerships, we’re delighted to unite with Tottenham Hotspur. As a brand that values performance and innovation we see a natural alignment with the Club’s values and aspirations. This partnership not only gives us the opportunity to connect with football fans globally, it gives us a great opportunity to bring our customers and consumers closer to the action on the football pitch too.”

February 14 – Tottenham Hotspur reportedly hold no fears of keeping hold of fan-favourite Ange Postecoglou despite the Australian being touted among the potential successors to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Postecoglou’s ‘heavily incentivised’ contract at Spurs would see him rewarded for qualification for the Champions League if Tottenham can keep up their positive form, which the club feel is enough to fend off interest from Merseyside.
Klopp announced his intention to leave Liverpool at the end of the current season, Read more …