Tottenham Supporters' Trust says it cannot support De Zerbi appointment
Opposition is growing among official Tottenham fans' groups to Roberto de Zerbi being named manager because of his controversial support of Mason Greenwood. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust held an emergency board meeting on Monday night and has now contacted the club to say it cannot support the appointment. The group told BBC Sport that it had received "a lot of emails from supporters" lodging complaints.
Ali Speechly, the co-founder of Women of the Lane, said her group also opposed the appointment and she will stop attending matches over the issue. De Zerbi has said Greenwood "paid in a strong way" after leaving Manchester United for Marseille after charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped. Spurs have confirmed the former Brighton and Marseille manager as Igor Tudor's replacement on a five-year deal .
But De Zerbi faces a battle to be accepted as the club fights to preserve its Premier League status. Greenwood was seen as one of United's most promising young players when, at the age of 20, he was arrested in January 2022. All charges against the former England international were dropped in February 2023.
Greenwood left Old Trafford to continue his career, initially on loan at Getafe before joining Marseille in July 2024 in a deal worth up to £26. 6m. The transfer was agreed 19 days after De Zerbi was appointed as boss of the Ligue 1 club.
But it was controversial in the French city. The mayor, Benoit Payan, said that signing Greenwood was "unacceptable" and he did not want the club "to be covered in shame". Marseille went ahead with the signing, and the 24-year-old has scored 47 times in 74 appearances across all competitions.