Tottenham Hotspur’s first-team squad held an emergency internal meeting last month as concerns grew over what players described as a widening disconnect between themselves and the club’s supporters. Tension around the team reached another flashpoint on Saturday night when Spurs collapsed during a chaotic six-minute spell, conceding twice and ultimately losing 2–1 to Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The defeat added further misery for Spurs at the end of a dismal week that had already included losses to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. It also marked Tottenham’s tenth home league defeat of the 2025 calendar year — a figure they have never previously reached in their history. Fulham, meanwhile, snapped a difficult run of form, having lost four of their previous six Premier League matches.

The major talking point of the evening centred on Fulham’s second goal. Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario ventured far outside his area but failed to deal with a routine clearance, allowing Fulham to regain possession. Harry Wilson seized the opportunity, bending a long-range effort into an empty net as Vicario scrambled in vain to recover.

Only moments later, when Vicario next received the ball, a noticeable number of Spurs supporters booed him. That reaction sparked visible anger after the match from Thomas Frank and Spurs defender Pedro Porro, both of whom condemned the treatment of the goalkeeper.

According to reporting from The Telegraph, the relationship between the team and its supporters had already been a central topic of discussion in a players-only meeting held after the 4–1 defeat to Chelsea on November 1. The squad reportedly believes that the current disconnect is serious and could directly affect performances on the pitch.

In response, the team has quietly introduced a new ritual: at the end of the first half, all players gather in the centre circle before walking off the pitch together. The aim is to demonstrate unity, regardless of whether the stadium atmosphere is hostile, tense, or subdued. The report also suggests that this sense of strain with the fanbase is not new; previous groups of Tottenham players have expressed similar worries in recent years.

Following Saturday’s match, Frank was outspoken in his criticism of the booing directed at Vicario, labelling those fans “not true supporters” and calling their behaviour “unacceptable.”

“I didn’t like hearing our fans boo him straight after that mistake, and again every time he touched the ball,” Frank said. “If you’re a real Tottenham fan, you support your players while the match is still being played. After the final whistle, if you want to express your frustration, that’s football — but during the game, it’s not acceptable.”

Porro echoed the sentiment in an Instagram post on Sunday afternoon, writing that football is full of emotion and that mistakes are inevitable. However, he made clear that he would not tolerate disrespect towards his teammates.

“Football is emotions,” he wrote. “Just like in life, mistakes can happen. But what I cannot accept is hearing fans disrespect my teammates. That’s why I reacted with frustration at the end of the match.”