The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Wednesday, November 11

Hi, everyone!

It turns out Joey Fatone was on The Masked Singer (this is why I read the comments), and this still supports my theory that he can sing. It also makes me more certain he wasn’t as good as the three ahead of him in the NSYNC pecking order.

Ramble of the Day

Perhaps the biggest news out of English football yesterday was that FA chairman Greg Clarke resigned after saying a series of racist, sexist, and homophobic things during a meeting with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. It was an incredible combination of horrible comments to say in one sitting, and perhaps in a setting where one might be on their best behavior.

It says a lot about Clarke that he felt so comfortable in such a professional setting to say something discriminatory about a lot of different people in one go. Mainly, it means that Clarke has gotten comfortable, period, and it’s not like there isn’t documented evidence. About a third of his Wikipedia page is dedicated to his insulting comments, including the time he said institutional racism was “fluff” and another instance where he revealed details of a private conversation he had with a survivor of sexual abuse.

It says something just as terrible, if not worse, about the structure at the FA and the people who make up that structure. Clarke has a history, but yesterday’s comments reveal an even deeper level of discrimination that is so clearly ingrained in his thought process. If he was willing to say it on suhc a big stage, it makes you wonder what he was willing to say in private. It also makes you wonder why that went unchecked for so long at the FA.

Getting rid of Clarke is great news for the FA, but I hope everyone else who remains is serious about reversing course. Considering what they basically let Clarke get away with, though, I can’t say I’m optimistic.

Links of the Day

Police in Portugal raided the offices of Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, and Santa Clara as part of an investigation into corruption regarding transfer fees.

The Premier League will no longer broadcast select matches via pay per view in the UK.

A longer read: Sachin Nakrani interviews Alberto Aquilani, who reflects on his spell with Liverpool and a run of bad luck for The Guardian