Soccer-Tottenham suspend Bissouma over nitrous oxide video


FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - Queens Park Rangers v Tottenham Hotspur - MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium, London, Britain - July 20, 2024 Tottenham Hotspur's Yves Bissouma scores their first goal REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur have suspended midfielder Yves Bissouma for Monday's Premier League opener at Leicester City after a video showing him inhaling nitrous oxide was posted on social media.

The 27-year-old apologised after last weekend's incident involving the Class C substance also known as laughing gas.

"He won't be available on Monday. We've suspended him for Monday's game," manager Ange Postecoglou told reporters at his pre-match news conference on Thursday. "He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group.

"The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him realise the decisions he makes impact the group."

Nitrous oxide is illegal to use as an inhalant after it was classified as a Class C drug by Britain's government last year.

"I've been in the game for a long time. When a situation like this arises, I've tried to look at them in a couple of ways. First, there's a person, it's Biss and he's made a poor decision," Australian Postecoglou said.

"The second part of that is he's a footballer, with responsibilities. It's down to behaviour, mate, it's that simple. It's about making better decisions.

"He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved but that's just part of it."

Tottenham's new signing Dominic Solanke could be in line for his debut at Leicester following the striker's move from Bournemouth in a deal worth a reported 65 million pounds ($83.38 million).

"Football-wise you can see he has all the attributes we need. He still needs time to fit in. He's fitting in well with the group and training," Postecoglou said.

"We've still got a couple of training sessions to go but he's doing well. He should be available."

($1 = 0.7795 pounds)

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Football

Soccer-Morrison named permanent West Brom boss after Championship survival
Soccer-Arsenal have chance to crank up title pressure on Man City
Soccer-Arrascaeta in race to recover for World Cup after collarbone fracture
Soccer-Inter on brink of Serie A title as Pisa and Verona face relegation
Soccer-Mainoo signs new Man United deal until 2031
Soccer-Young to retire at the end of the season
Soccer-Thun-believable: Promoted club set to clinch Swiss league title
Soccer-Parker leaves Burnley by mutual consent after relegation from Premier League
From talk to action for MFL and clubs
Soccer-Afghanistan exiles dream of Olympic stage after FIFA recognition

Others Also Read