5 Biggest Tottenham Hotspur Scandals Since 2000

Here are the five biggest Tottenham Hotspur scandals since 2000. 

Does Harry Redknapp's tax-evasion charge make the list? What about Kyle Walker inhaling laughing gas? Or Luka Modric claiming chairman Daniel Levy reneged a gentleman's agreement?

Feel free to comment below with your own suggestions.

Pedro Mendes Igniting Calls for Goal-Line Technology

Pedro Mendes and Roy Carroll will forever be linked with the introduction of goal-line technology in the English Premier League. 

Towards the end of a game in 2003, Manchester United failed to clear the ball and Spurs midfielder Mendes hit a speculative 55-yard shot, which was parried over the line by United 'keeper Carroll.

Linesman Rob Lewis, who made the wrong call, said he could not call something he did not see.

"When the ball landed I was still 25 yards from goal and it was impossible to judge if it had crossed the line," Lewis said, via BBC Sport. "There was nothing I could have done differently apart from run faster than Linford Christie."

In 2013, eight years after Mendes' disallowed goal, the English Premier League voted to introduce goal-line technology from the 2013-14 season.

Hugo Lloris' Concussion

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When Hugo Lloris was knocked out recently after a collision with Romelu Lukaku, Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas overruled the instructions of his medical staff to sub his goalkeeper.

"The medical department was giving me signs that the player couldn't carry on because he couldn't remember where he was," Villas-Boas said, via The Telegraph. "It was my call to delay the substitution. From my knowledge of football he seemed OK to continue."

FIFA's chief medical officer Professor Jiri Dvorak was against Lloris continuing. 

"It's a 99 percent probability that losing consciousness in such an event will result in concussion," Dvorak said, via BBC Sport. "We have a slogan: if there is any doubt, keep the player out."

With a reliable deputy in Brad Friedel, Villas-Boas should not have gambled on Lloris' health.

Trying to Phase out the Word 'Yid'

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This season, the Football Association warned that chanting the word "Yid," which can be derived as a racial slur against Jewish people, could lead to criminal charges, per The Guardian:

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The FA considers that the use of the term 'Yid' is likely to be considered offensive by the reasonable observer and considers the term to be inappropriate in a football setting. The FA would encourage fans to avoid using it in any situation. Use of the term in a public setting could amount to a criminal offence, and leave those fans liable to prosecution and potentially a lengthy Football Banning Order.

"

Tottenham Hotspur legend Jimmy Greaves responded by saying political correctness had gone too far.

"I played at White Hart Lane alongside names that tripped off the tongue: Yiddle Perryman, Yiddle Mackay from Scotland, Yiddle Jones from Rhonda Valley and Yiddle Jennings from Ireland," Greaves said, from The Sunday People via The Independent.

"The only people who are really taking offence are the type of people who are looking for something to really take offence—jumping on the political correctness bandwagon."

Even the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, put forward his view. 

"There's a difference between Spurs fans self-describing themselves as Yids and someone calling someone a Yid as an insult," Cameron said, from Jewish Chronicle via The Guardian. "Hate speech should be prosecuted – but only when it's motivated by hate."

During Tottenham's home game against West Ham United earlier this season, police arrested one man at half-time for saying the word "Yid," per Sky Sports. 

UEFA Champions League Hopes Dashed by Food Poisoning

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Who would have thought a night at the London Marriott hotel would debilitate Tottenham Hotspur clinching a UEFA Champions League qualification spot?

Heading into their do-or-die match against West Ham United, Martin Jol watched helplessly as his players started complaining of sickness, per Mihir Bose at The Telegraph:

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Then, from about 1 am, virtually Tottenham's entire team were violently sick: Davids, Tainio, Keane, Dawson, Carrick, Lennon, Cerny, the reserve goalkeeper, Davenport, Barnard and Lee. Carrick, the most ill, was hardly able to walk.

For hours it seemed that Tottenham, who had a squad of 17, were not even sure they could field 11 players at West Ham.

Indeed, when I arrived at Upton Park at 1.30 pm, one Tottenham director told me: "We will have to field 10, have you got your boots?"

"

West Ham prevailed 2-1 with Yossi Benayoun scoring what turned out to be the winner.

Alan Pardew, the West Ham manager at the time, expressed his condolences for Spurs. 

"I have sympathy for Spurs," Pardew said, via BBC Sport. "It was the biggest game of their season and the food poisoning was a terrible blow."

The London Marriott hotel was later cleared of negligence, per BBC Sport:

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An investigation into the hotel's food preparation, storage and cooking found it to be satisfactory.

Tests on the players showed one had a form of gastroenteritis which may have spread to the other players affected.

Tottenham were unsuccessful in their attempts to get the match delayed or postponed and there could be the threat of legal action against the Premier League as to whether they followed the right procedure.

"

Sol Campbell Betraying Tottenham Hotspur

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Sol Campbell, a world-class centre-back, was a Tottenham Hotspur stalwart, but upon running down his contract, he promptly joined North London rivals Arsenal to the utter disgust of Spurs fans. 

"The Trust believes that it is clear his previous protestations of love for Tottenham and respect for the fans were nothing more than the hollow words of a man too cowardly to tell the truth," the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust said in a statement, via IOL Sport.

"He must have known that joining Arsenal would be regarded by the vast majority of Spurs fans as the ultimate act of betrayal."

According to The Guardian, Campbell rejected Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to sign with the Gunners.

While Campbell said leaving Spurs was for purely football reasons, Tottenham management said money was a primary factor in Campbell refusing to extend his contract, per BBC Sport:

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Spurs branded Campbell's wage demands "unacceptable" after learning their captain had turned down a club record deal potentially worth £80,000 a week.

Tottenham said on their official website that their captain had demanded a £20 million three-year deal.

"For our part, we had made Sol an offer that would have made him the highest paid player in our history and one of the best paid players in the Premiership," their statement added.

"

Campbell went on to win two league titles with Arsenal and played in the season when the club went unbeaten in the Premier League. 

+allanjiang