The Y Word!

It may be acceptable for some to allow players like Wayne Rooney to shout the F word, but it would seem that fans are not allowed to say the Y word...

A new campaign against anti-Semitism in English soccer targets the 'Yiddo' chants sung by and against Tottenham fans and deems it offensive and illegal to call someone by the "Y word" much in the way black and Asian players were racially abused in the past and of course still are in some countries.

Now clearly, references to Auschwitz or Gas Chambers are clearly in terrible taste and not acceptable in any civilized society, even in the "man world" of football abuse, but this obviously goes way above banter, much in the way the N or P words are or were used against Black and Asian players and perhaps it is only right to now target the anti-Semitism aimed at the Jewish population.

Now interestingly from a Spurs perspective, it appears that our own almost affectionate reference to our own Jewish heritage of our club could be deemed illegal and racist, despite the fact we use the wording in a manner which is to my mind almost respectful to the clubs roots and in absolutely no way meant in an abusive way. But is it?

Now I, like the vast majority of Spurs fans, chant, "Yid or Yiddo" and yet I never really give a moment`s thought to this being anything racist or offensive coming from a Tottenham fans mouth, but the fact I have always sung the song with pride and affection, perhaps doesn`t make it right or are we again going too far in the political correctness bandwagon?

Songs about Munich, concentration camps or even distasteful chants against certain players hanging from trees (no names) are obviously crossing the line between fan banter and disgusting abuse, but I wonder how we as Spurs fans feel about the prospect of being branded racist for singing a word that we have always done with respect?

Now things move on in that we no longer have gollywogs on our Robinson`s jam and now use Chalk boards instead of blackboards (though I believe White board is still okay), but is our own club reference on a par with Nigger or Paki, words that are now restricted to the first letter, but that seems okay with me, so am I and the rest of our supporters wrong to say the Y word, if it is done so in a non aggressive way?

For me and as a non Jewish person, I may well be totally missing the point at our own references as Spurs fans, but I am more offended by a fan or player constantly using the F word than the Y, and is it how it is said and by whom, that is the real issue, so I wonder if the Jewish fans amongst us find our own chants offensive or are we as a club rightly or wrongly being bragged into the wider race issue as innocent victims of the abuse from others???

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.