Tottenham tries new defensive strategy…against newspaper

By: Bob | August 28th, 2007

Let’s see, where have we seen something like this before? A newspaper writes a number of critical and unflattering stories about an organization and the next thing you know the organization bans the newspaper from covering it. Sounds like a page from a playbook from behind the Iron Curtain circa 1972, but it is actually the latest move by Tottenham.

Unhappy with the negative coverage it has been receiving in the London Evening Standard and in particular from columnist Matthew Normal (oh the go throw life with that surname), the English Premier League club has decided enough is enough. It will dictate who covers the team.

A spokesperson for Tottenham Hotspur FC said: “Evening Standard journalists will not be granted access to press conferences and matches. Please not that this decision has been taken by the club’s management board, not in haste and at a time when quite simply ‘enough is enough’. The timing of this is in no way related to comments generated as a result of the past few days’ events – Matthew Normal’s person attacks continue regardless of what happens at the club.”

I can’t attest to the Evening Standard’s coverage of Tottenham, but regardless of whether it is balanced, biased or somewhere in between I can’t help to think that this is an overreaction by a club that is feeling a ton of pressure. The fact remains that the newspaper is going to cover the club with or without press access. Getting into a pissing match with the paper is only going to lead to more scrutiny from said paper.

In an open and free society things are going to be written about you that you don’t like. Some of them might even turn out to be libelous. That is what courts are for. When clubs start trying to dictate who can and who can’t cover them it opens up a can of worms. Instead of attacking the press, Tottenham should concentrate on attacking their opponent’s goal.