UEFA make official statement, Tottenham issued apology after ‘shocking’ moment
UEFA were forced to apologise to Tottenham for a post-match development after the Lilywhites beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League.
Ange Postecoglou kept his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season, courtesy of a Brennan Johnson strike on the stroke of half-time at the Estadio de San Mamés on Wednesday (21 May).
It led to joyous scenes for the players and the supporters who had made the trip to Bilbao as Spurs lifted their first piece of silverware for 17 years.
However, there was a moment after the final whistle which threatened to put a dampener on the celebrations.
UEFA issue official Tottenham statement
In the trophy presentation, several Spurs stars were left without a medal for the trophy lift, including captain Son Heung-min.
A statement issued by UEFA claimed that more players were a part of the ceremony than they had expected.
As per Simon Stone via X (22 May), UEFA stated, “To our great displeasure, we did not have enough medals available on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count, as more team members – including injured players – participated in the ceremony than initially anticipated.
The missing medals were promptly delivered to the winning team in the dressing room, along with our sincerest apologies for the oversight.”
Tottenham win was overshadowed by UEFA’s incompetence
The fact that Son did not have a medal around his neck when he lifted the trophy is a complete and utter shambles.
UEFA have once again proved their incompetence in the latest shocking event to overshadow one of its competitions.
| Tottenham | Trophies |
| Division One | 2 |
| FA Cup | 8 |
| Europa League/UEFA Cup | 3 |
| European Cup Winners Cup | 1 |
The organisation that oversees European football has often proven that it is not fit for purpose, with supporters regularly paying the price for their decisions.
The most notable screw-up in recent years was the decision to host the 2022 UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France, which turned into a nightmare for Liverpool supporters as UEFA and Paris were underprepared.
The fact that numerous players did not receive a medal straight away is simply not good enough, they could have anticipated how many Spurs needed and sorted the right amount before the celebrations.
Luckily for Lilywhites supporters, it will go down as a footnote in history, and they will just remember the night that Postecoglou and Co finally lifted a trophy and ended the heartache.
It was particularly fitting for Son, who won his first trophy for the North London club after 10 years of service, but it would have been better had he had a medal for the trophy lift.