How Jewish is outgoing Spurs chair Daniel Levy?

The company has a long history of holdings in football, and once part-owned Czech football club Slavia Prague, which is often wrongly characterised as a Jewish club.

The myth is widely considered to have emerged from a game against West Ham in 1922. The match was called off due to rain, something Slavia was insured against. The match was played the next day, but the club reportedly still claimed the money from the insurer.

This prompted antisemitic chants from fans of rival clubs, labelling Slavia supporters “Jews” in relation to the allegations of financial impropriety.

Levy took over from Lord Sugar as chairman of Spura in 2001, a decision which forced him to sell his interests in other clubs due to Uefa rules preventing multiple teams with the same owners from competing in European competitions.

Since taking charge, he has been subjected to several instances of antisemitic abuse, due to both his own Jewish identity and that of the club.

In 2013, when Real Madrid were desperate to secure then-Tottenham star man Gareth Bale, Spurs’ management insisted on a record-breaking £85 million transfer fee, which Real eventually paid.

Levy received antisemitic backlash online in the wake of the deal, with social media users calling him a "greedy Jewish c***".

He has also received more general antisemitic abuse on social media over the years, with users calling him a "fat bald Jew" and "Jew boy".

However, arguably the most significant antisemitic incident involving Levy occurred in 2021, during negotiations to sell vice-captain Harry Kane.

While discussing the deal on air, radio station TalkSport received a call-in from a member of the public, who said of Levy: “He’s a Jew, he’s not going to let him [Harry Kane] go for nothing, is he?”

The hosts didn't challenge the antisemitic comment and Tottenham ended up issuing a formal complaint.

On leaving Tottenham, Levy said: “I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees. We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level.”

A club spokesperson said: “This is all part of the club's ambition to ensure that it is set up to deliver long-term sporting success... There are no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure of the club."

Levy’s resignation had intensified long-running rumours that the Lewis family, the majority stakeholders in the club, were preparing a sale. However, a “source close to” the family reportedly told Sky News that this is not the case.

“Generations of the Lewis family support this special football club and they want what the fans want - more wins more often,” they said.