Tottenham Supporters' Trust hit back at plan to include fan representative on the board, saying it does not give them 'any real power'... and insist complaints they have not met the club 'attacks a fan organisation and is simply destructive'

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The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust has hit back at the club's proposal to appoint fans to the board, insisting 'the measures set out do not give fan representatives any real power'.

Spurs announced on Tuesday that they will be establishing a club advisory panel, comprised of elected representatives from different fan groups, with the chair of the panel appointed yearly as a full non-executive of Tottenham's board.

Daniel Levy and the club's board also apologised 'unreservedly' to fans for failing to consult them over the European Super League debacle. 

The THST has hit back at the Premier League club's proposal to appoint a fan to the board

Spurs announced on Tuesday that they will be establishing a club advisory panel, comprised of elected representatives from different fan groups, to join Daniel Levy and Co

Last week Premier League rivals Chelsea revealed they would also be allowing fan representation at board meetings from July in a move to ease tensions following their plot to join the ESL.

But it appeared Tottenham had gone a step further in appointing a supporter as a bona fide non-executive member of the club's board.

However, the plan has left the THST furious with the club's executives and they insist the statement published on Tuesday 'misrepresents [our] position and attacks a volunteer fan organisation... is simply destructive [and]... regrettable in the extreme.'

In a response published on Tuesday morning, THST said: 'The timing came as a surprise as we were still engaged in independent mediation designed to bring about a meeting between the Trust and THFC; mediation that was activated by THST after the club's repeated refusal to specify terms for a meeting.

'At last though, three weeks after the collapse of the ESL, and over a fortnight after everyone else, the club has apologised 'unreservedly', although only after detailing its reservations. An apology is better late, however, than never.

 The THST insists 'the measures set out do not give fan representatives any real power'

'More important is the acceptance by the Club's Board of measures we have been calling for over some years, and which we put forward in our six-point plan. The dogged stance of the Trust and the wider supporter base has forced the Club to concede the principle that fans must be represented at Board level, and to adopt some of our specific suggestions.

'But announcing this without consultation on detail is not a promising start. And the measures set out in the Club's statement do not give fan representatives any real power.

'It is vital the Club Advisory Panel has the support of the fans, including the Trust, if it is to be a credible vehicle for fan representation.

'We are very willing to meet with the Club to discuss the mechanics of genuine supporter representation at Board level. We have said we are willing to meet, we have made it clear to the Club directly and to the mediator that we are willing to meet, and we have made clear what the basis for that meeting should be. We will take the results of any discussions back to our members.

'What cannot go unquestioned is the Club's decision to publish a statement that misrepresents the position and attacks a volunteer fan organisation at a time when the Club is facing sustained criticism over its relationship with the fanbase and for its decision making. It is simply destructive. To do so while we were pursuing a mediation process via the Football Supporters' Association in good faith is regrettable in the extreme. 

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust is planning another protest against the club's owners

'We also note the description of the Club's Board as 'individuals who have lived and breathed this Club for the best part of two decades'. The obvious implication is that the Trust and the fans we represent are somehow not. Let us state now, for the record, that the supporters of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club have lived and breathed this great Club for far longer than two decades. And we will continue to do so far beyond the tenure of our current custodians.

'The Club fails to acknowledge that in previous meetings with the Trust it repeatedly denied that any talks were taking place in relation to any European Super League, even while it is now clear that those talks were taking place. Its latest statement is another attempt to deflect criticism at a time when the Club should be seeking to rebuild relationships and repair trust. Relationships matter, not only with fans but with the wider football family, and when those relationships have been so severely damaged the time has come to reassess.

'Fans are not convinced that the current Board or owners do know that 'the heartbeat of the Club is success on the pitch'. And the warning that 'we shall need to recover from the loss of substantial revenues' is ominous indeed from a Board that has imposed the highest ticket prices in Europe and charged £60 for the partial return of fans to our stadium after a year of the pandemic.

'Real change is coming because you, the fans, have made your voices heard. We remain committed to securing that real change at the football club whose interests we always have, and always will, put first.'

Fan group called for the club's executive board to resign in the wake of European Super League

The THST is planning a protest against the club's owners in their final home game of the season against Aston Villa.

The move comes after the fan group called for the club's executive board - chairman Daniel Levy and owners the ENIC group - to resign in the wake of their involvement in the failed European Super League plan.

Some fans gathered at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to protest ahead of last month's Premier League win over Southampton, but with up to 10,000 supporters expected to be allowed in for the Villa game early next month, THST is planning an organised protest.

On the current friction between the club and the THST, the Tottenham statement on Tuesday added: 'We are disappointed that the Board of the Tottenham Hotspur THST has not yet met with the Club.

'The THST, with whom we have worked and, indeed, promoted, for 20 years has called for the resignations of the Executive Board over the ESL – individuals who have lived and breathed this club for the best part of two decades.

'We have offered on several occasions to meet board-to-board and discuss an open agenda – excluding a change of club ownership and the resignation of the board. Our door remains open on this basis.'