LONDON: Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma will miss the start of the Premier League season after being suspended by the club following an investigation into footage showing him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide or laughing gas.
Bissouma uploaded clips of himself using nitrous oxide, which is now a Class C drug according to British law, onto social media site Snapchat last weekend.
The Mali international has apologized and acknowledged in a statement his “severe lack of judgment”.
Following an investigation, Bissouma was handed a one-match suspension — meaning he will miss Tottenham’s Premier League opener at Leicester on Monday.
“He is a footballer of this club — he has responsibilities to the club, to his teammates, to our supporters, to everyone associated with the club, and he has failed in those duties,” Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said Thursday.
“He won’t be available for Monday ... but beyond that, there is also some trust-building that needs to happen between Biss and me, and Biss and the group. That’s what he needs to work hard at, to win that back.”
Nitrous oxide is used medically as an anesthetic and pain reliever. But people also use the drug to get high. Heavy use can cause damage to brain and nerve tissue.
Tottenham suspend Bissouma for Premier League opener after video showing him inhaling nitrous oxide
https://arab.news/jr2re
Tottenham suspend Bissouma for Premier League opener after video showing him inhaling nitrous oxide
- Bissouma uploaded clips of himself using nitrous oxide, which is now a Class C drug according to British law, onto social media site Snapchat
- The Mali international has apologized and acknowledged in a statement his “severe lack of judgment”
Dortmund’s new CEO defends sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall
- Cramer said “it’s maybe a part of life that we do not need to agree 100 percent to everything the club are doing”
- At the 2024 AGM, a majority of members present voted against further cooperation with Rheinmetall
BERLIN: German soccer club Borussia Dortmund’s new chief executive has defended their contentious sponsorship agreement with Rheinmetall, the country’s largest arms manufacturer.
Carsten Cramer, who took over from outgoing Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke last month, said Thursday he was 100 percent committed to the three-year deal announced by the club in May 2024, and that he was “convinced it was the right decision” despite many Dortmund fans making their opposition to it clear.
“I do accept the criticism,” Cramer said. “It’s maybe a part of life that we do not need to agree 100 percent to everything the club are doing. But in certain times it is necessary to take responsibility, and in these dangerous times where the safety and security of our country is not protected by diplomatic relationships and political relationships, I think it is a clear commitment of a club like Dortmund that we have to invest in defense.”
Rheinmetall last month announced record figures for the first nine months of 2025, with sales up 20 percent to 7.5 billion euros ($8.8 billion), while its backlog in orders reached 64 billion euros ($75 billion). It announced record sales of weapon systems, ammunition and protection systems driven by wars in Ukraine and elsewhere.
“We have to start and run a discussion in our country how to defend our country and Dortmund are always taking responsibility,” Cramer said. “We are always saying we are more than just a football club.”
Dortmund present Rheinmetall on their website as a “champion partner” and they display the company’s banner on advertising hoardings during games.
The agreement has caused friction among supporters to varying degrees with some Dortmund fans even going so far as to renounce their support. There were boos for Watzke at the club’s AGM last month, when he was appointed club president with 59 percent of the vote though he might have expected more. Watzke played a significant role in steering the club through a financial crisis in 2005.
At the 2024 AGM, a majority of members present voted against further cooperation with Rheinmetall.
That came after the team’s first game of the 2024-25 season was marked by fan protests against the sponsorship deal.
“Five years ago, I never expected that we would work together with a defense company. But now democracy, the system, the defense structure of our territories (is) under pressure, and I think we have to open the eyes of the people that we are not able to defend our country, our system, just by hoping that the Americans will care for us,” Cramer said.
“If a club like us are not inviting (people) to discuss something like this, who should do it?”
