Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank came under fire for drinking from an espresso cup bearing the club’s arch-rivals Arsenal logo as his side slumped to their eighth Premier League defeat of the season away to Bournemouth on Thursday morning (AEDT).
Antoine Semenyo scored in the 95th minute to lead Spurs to a 3-2 defeat, bagging a double in what is likely to be his final appearance for Bournemouth before a likely move to Manchester City.
However, the fallout from a result that will leave substandard Tottenham in 14th place almost pales in comparison to the aftermath of Frank being photographed before the game holding a coffee cup with an Arsenal badge, highlighting the almost comical level of tribalism and hostility in English football.
The image went viral during the match and angered Spurs fans, many of whom assumed it was created by AI, such was their refusal to believe Frank would be put in such a position.
Arsenal were the last team to play at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, so the cups were likely left in the away dressing room from their weekend visit – although Frank said he didn’t notice they were marked.
“I think it’s fair to say that we don’t win every single game of football, so it would be absolutely, completely stupid of me to take the cup with Arsenal. [logo on it]. Anyone who thinks I did it or the staff did it [on purpose is wrong]” he said at the post-match press conference.
The incriminating picture of Thomas Frank before the game.Credit: Getty Images
“They were in the dressing room, the game ahead. It’s normal to take a cup, give me an espresso – [I] do it before every match.
“I think it’s actually a bit sad in football that I have to be asked that. I think we’re definitely going in the wrong direction if we have to worry about me having a cup with a different logo from another club – of course I would never do that, that’s extremely stupid.”
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