Spurs fans protest against owners & chairman Levy

Hundreds of Tottenham fans took part in a protest showing their anger at the club's board and owners on Sunday, and calling for chairman Daniel Levy "to get out of our club".

The demonstration happened before Spurs' Premier League match at home to Southampton, with Ange Postecoglou's side 16th in the table after a disappointing campaign.

The protest was organised by the Change For Tottenham group, with fans able to buy flags and scarves, profits from the sales of which will be donated to The Tottenham Food Bank and Noah's Children's Hospice.

"Time for change," was the message on the flags, while some scarves said 'Enough is enough, Enic Out!".

The Enic Group, a British investment company, took over Tottenham in 2001.

"Built a business, killed a football club", was written on another flag.

The fans' chants included "We want Levy out", and "Daniel Levy, get out of our club". A third chant included the lines: "We don't care about Levy, he don't care about me, all I care about is [Dejan] Kulusevski."

"Many lifelong Tottenham supporters feel alienated by the club's ownership and direction," said Change For Tottenham.

The fan-led group says its frustration is "primarily aimed" at owners Enic and Levy "whose tenure has been marked by financial growth but, in the eyes of many, sporting decline".

Change For Tottenham added: "The New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a state of the art facility, but at what cost? Ticket prices are among the highest in the Premier League, forcing many fans, some of whom have supported Spurs for decades, to give up their season tickets or attend fewer games.

"For years the team has lacked investment in key areas, particularly in defence, while transfer windows have felt reactive instead of proactive. The result? Another trophy-less season looms, extending a drought that has lasted since 2008."

There are set to be more protests before and during the match, with fans urged to hold up their protest scarves and flags before the game, then again in the 24th minute, to mark 24 years of Enic ownership, and again in the 61st minute, representing the fact the club were last English champions in 1961.

The Enic Group took over Tottenham in 2001, and the club have only won one trophy in that time, the Carling Cup in 2007-08, although Spurs did reach the Champions League final in 2019, losing 2-0 to Liverpool in the final.

Spurs reached the semi-finals of this season's Carabao Cup, losing to Liverpool, but their only hope of qualifying for Europe next season comes via the Europa League.

On Thursday they entertain German side Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their quarter-final, before the away leg a week later.

If Tottenham were to win the competition, they would automatically qualify for next season's Champions League.

Spurs have struggled with injuries, but are in danger of their worst league season since the top flight was rebranded as the Premier League in 1992. They finished 15th in 1993-94 when it was a 22-team division, and 14th in 1997-98 and 2003-04.

Tottenham have not ended outside the top 15 in English football since one season in the former Second Division in 1977-78.