Tottenham Hotspur’s footballers have pledged to refund ticket-holders who watched the club capitulate to a 6-1 loss at English Premier League rival Newcastle United on Sunday.
Tottenham conceded five goals in the first 21 minutes of the game as the team’s hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League through a top-four finish in the Premier League disintegrated.
Hundreds of the club’s fans exited St James’ Park before half-time to embark on a 300-mile journey back to North London.
“As a squad, we understand your frustration, your anger,” the players said in a statement. “It wasn’t good enough. We know words aren’t enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts.
“We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James’ Park. We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us. Together – and only together – can we move things forward.”
Such a move is rare, but not without precedent.
Arsenal and Sunderland are among English football clubs to have offered fans refunds or free entry to another fixture following a heavy defeat in recent years.
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