Villas-Boas fears racism in Italy as Spurs prepare for Lazio trip
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Andre Villas-Boas fears the racist chanting that soured Tottenham's home game with Lazio may happen again when the teams meet at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.
Lazio were fined £32,500 by Uefa after chants were aimed at Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend during the 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane in September.
"Uefa decided to punish Lazio and rightly so, but it doesn't meant that incidents won't happen again," said Villas-Boas. "We hope they won't. We think the players are in the right frame of mind to leave the authorities to deal with that."
Paul Gascoigne, who played for Tottenham for four years before moving to Lazio in 1992 for a three-year spell, is due to salute the crowd on the pitch before the Europa League match. "He was from my generation of football and everyone around the world knew him," added Villas-Boas. "He's a great personality and we're very pleased he'll be here."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments