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15 hours ago
The unprovoked verbal maltreatment was not unexpected erstwhile it happened. I had spent an hr extracurricular nan Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, talking to Asian fans who had travel to spot their nine play. Many had been introduced to Spurs done Son Heung-min, nan beloved South Korean superstar.
When Son was appointed skipper successful 2023 he became nan first Asian subordinate to lead a Premier League team, a boost not only for his already important floor plan but that of Tottenham. For much than a decade, he brought a travel of Asian fans to Spurs matches. And contempt his departure this summertime for Los Angeles FC, they are still coming.
They will beryllium Spurs supporters for life, says Sun Thaicharoenporn, a 22-year-old Singaporean of Thai practice who lives successful London. He and his girlfriend, Ang Ang, turned up for nan crippled against Aston Villa this period decked retired successful nine scarves and caps. They flashed large smiles and happily posed erstwhile we took their photos extracurricular nan stadium. And past a Villa fan, successful a group of men, interrupted. “Fuck Tottenham,” he yelled, leaning into their faces.
Sun and Ang Ang blanched, but brushed it off. But nan mobility lingered, unspoken. Would he person done that to different Tottenham fans? Would he person truthful confidently targeted a group of achromatic men wearing Spurs colours, not Asian fans, stereotyped arsenic much passive and timid, and maligned astatine times moreover by different Spurs fans online for being connected nan bandwagon, for not being “true” fans.
Who gets to beryllium a instrumentality successful English football, to afloat participate successful nine culture, to consciousness they are portion of a club? Son made a batch of group consciousness they could. When Sun moved to London 3 years agone for university, he told his woman he wanted them to spell to shot and get down a club, to participate successful English civilization and thief them “integrate”. Tottenham were nan clear choice. He had been pursuing nan squad casually for years because of Son. “When I was successful mediate schoolhouse he was nan main Asian practice successful nan Premier League,” he says. Sun’s family were Liverpool aliases Manchester United fans. “I’m nan achromatic sheep,” he says wryly, “But I felt for illustration I wanted to support a squad which represented that benignant of multi-diversity.”
To him Son’s beingness successful nan Spurs team, his action arsenic captain, made him consciousness Tottenham were a much tolerant, unfastened nine than others. “As an Asian personification coming to nan UK, you cognize you’re a minority, and Son’s presence, his leadership, benignant of signifies that this nine astatine slightest knows really to grip multi-diversity and they want to clasp that. So I feeI much safe going to nan stadium and being portion of nan fans, being portion of nan club.”
Sun besides appreciated nan “Asian values” Son displayed astatine Tottenham: his respectful and humble character, grace successful activity and politeness connected nan field. “A batch of nan clip you’d spot him displaying a gesture, for illustration a bow,” he says. “For example, aft he won nan Europa League he bowed to nan fans.” The truth that Son was specified a superb footballer made him moreover easier to get behind.
Son is simply a “cultural touchstone” for Koreans astir nan world, according to nan New Yorkers Mike and Paul Chung. The brothers made a Spurs crippled a cardinal portion of their itinerary erstwhile they flew to London and Mike wore Son’s No 7 garment for nan occasion. “He validates nan thought that a Korean tin beryllium 1 of nan champion players for nan astir celebrated athletics successful nan world,” says Mike. Son remains an intrinsic portion of Tottenham, nan brothers say.
“He is nan champion Asian subordinate successful England’s shot history, truthful arsenic a Japanese personification I’m proud,” says Yusuke Sasaki, a casual spectator for nan Villa game. Stat-obsessed Ko Morita, connected vacation from Thailand, rattled disconnected Real Madrid arsenic his favourite team, but erstwhile asked astir Son, nan 11-year-old says: “Son Heung-min? He’s my boy! He’s truthful good! He and Harry Kane were nan champion strikers ever … for Tottenham astatine least, though to maine Son is much for illustration a left-winger.”
The support that Son, and by relation Tottenham and nan Premier League, received successful and from Asia complete nan past decade was massive, and measurably so. Visitors spent their dollars and stall owners astir nan stadium still study trading retired Son scarves aft a large game.
South Korean students Junoh Yoon and Seynuh, studying successful Ireland, flew complete for nan Villa lucifer contempt not having tickets. They conscionable wanted to soak up nan ambiance and travel to nan stadium for nan first time. “I’m a instrumentality of nan Spurs because of Son,” says Junoh. “But I’m a instrumentality of nan full team. I’ve followed them for 8 years now.”
Son was specified a well-liked subordinate that he didn’t bull overmuch dislike from guidance supporters. But resentment among immoderate Spurs fans astatine summons prices going up, nan trouble of procuring them and their squad being regarded arsenic a tourer attraction affects Asian fans. Austen Chan, who grew up “religiously” watching Tottenham successful Hong Kong, says he has seen a batch of specified maltreatment “not truthful overmuch successful personification astatine nan games but online”. He has seen accusations that Korean fans who alert successful for nan games are only location for Son, taking up nan spots of alleged “legitimate” fans. And arsenic an Asian fan, he has felt uncomfortable scrutiny.
Austen moved to London past twelvemonth to study and has attended 3 games since, including nan Villa match. But he doesn’t consciousness immoderate “closer” to nan squad because of it. “I don’t deliberation being from a different portion of nan world makes you immoderate little of a Tottenham fan,” he says. “I whitethorn not person been capable to spell to games while I was successful precocious schoolhouse because I conscionable was not successful nan aforesaid place, obviously. But I deliberation nan truth that I was consenting to enactment up till those early hours to watch nan games shows that I’m conscionable arsenic overmuch of a instrumentality arsenic immoderate different person.”
The harassment Sun and Ang Ang faced earlier kick-off was not nan first specified encounter, which he believes is fuelled successful portion because of his race. But he has besides had affirmative experiences: connected nan measurement to nan first crippled he took Ang Ang to past year, a Europa League encounter, they were approached by a group of older fans connected nan train “probably because we were Asian and looked comparatively young. They asked america whether it was our first crippled watching nan Spurs astatine a stadium and we exchanged our points of position connected nan bequest of nan club. They besides told america astir really agelong they had been supporting Spurs and it felt for illustration they were trying to invited maine and present maine to a really large portion of their life.”
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