A jubilant, Tottenham jersey-wearing Daniel Levy broke cover to make an impassioned speech to Spurs players, their families and coaches after the club’s Europa League win on Wednesday night.
The typically reclusive club chairman took centre stage after Spurs’ 1-0 win over Manchester United ended a 17-year wait for a trophy and secured qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Levy, who has been the object of Spurs fans’ fury for many years during a period of poor on-field results, heaped praise on head coach Ange Postecoglou, who delivered the club its first piece of silverware since the 2008 League Cup.
‘We’re champions,’ Levy roared to an ecstatic crowd. ‘Listen, this has been a very long time coming. 1984 was the last time we won a European cup and tonight we’ve made history.
‘I want to thank Ange and all the coaching staff, all the players, you guys have gone down in history. Thank you very much.
‘This is a magnificent achievement for the club that will hopefully get us on the road of where we absolutely deserve to be, which is at the very top. Thank you very much!’
Daniel Levy broke cover to celebrate Tottenham’s win in the Europa League on Wednesday night
The Tottenham chairman has faced criticism for his running of the club in recent seasons
Spurs ended their 17-year wait for a trophy after by beating Premier League rivals Man United
As recently as last month, thousands of Tottenham fans protested Levy’s running of the club, amid a woeful league campaign that could see the side finish as low as 17th in the division.
‘Time for change,’ read many flags, while the message on another was: ‘Built a business, killed a football club.’
Another flag read: ‘Enough is enough, ENIC Out!’ aimed at ENIC Group, who bought a controlling stake of the club in 2001 from Alan Sugar.
A popular tune in honour of Sweden midfielder Dejan Kulusevski was altered to take aim at the 62-year-old chairman.
‘We don’t care about Levy, he don’t care about me, all I care about is [Dejan] Kulusevski,’ fans sang, referencing recent ticket-price hikes and plans to scrap some concessions.
Change For Tottenham, a fan-led group who aim to bring about change at the club, said: ‘Many lifelong Tottenham supporters feel alienated by the club’s ownership and direction.
‘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.
‘Time for change’ read many flags, while the message on another was: ‘Built a business, killed a football club’
Levy has spent over £1billion on transfer in the last 14 years, winning no silverware before Wednesday night
It remains unclear whether Postecoglou will remain with the side after their poor domestic showing
‘The result? Another trophy-less season looms, extending a drought that has lasted since 2008.’
Having ended their long drought, attention will quickly turn to the future, particularly that of their manager Postecoglou.
It remains unclear whether he will remain with the side after their poor domestic showing, however, his tactical display in the final will give some confidence of improvement next term.
