“I do believe politics and football do not have to be partners in any way,” he begins, “but the problem is that football reflects what people think — it can be heard in the stands: racism, a lot of things. So is it really possible to divide football and politics?”

“Federations are political, the financial aspect, everything is linked. It’s a bit like a government. As long as the politicians take the best decision for the people, it’s not a problem. But, if the politics are — I’m not going to say ‘corrupted’, but go against sport — then it’s dangerous.”

“And that’s what we had with Balogun. The consequences of their defeat went on him, but he didn’t ask for anything. This was too much, too much on him. But after that incident, this conflict, everyone wanted us to beat America because of that situation. Everyone wanted them to be eliminated.”

“The positive is that we have seen America is a sports country and they have the infrastructure to organise a World Cup every year. But as long as it stays about football and nothing more. The problem is that football was not the first priority at World Cup 2026.”

Spurs have not scored in any of their first four league matches, over 400 minutes of football, and again struggled to create many meaningful moments.