Tottenham Hotspur become butt of parliament joke as politician doubles down on scathing assessment

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Igor Tudor, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) — Is Igor Tudor the man to save Tottenham's season? (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur's woe this season was compounded on Sunday evening after the team fell to a 4-1 derby day defeat by Arsenal.

The result leaves interim head coach Igor Tudor's new side positioned precariously above the Premier League's relegation zone, with just four points separating the North Londoners and current 18th-placed side West Ham United.

Swedish politician pokes fun at Tottenham in parliament

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 10: Thomas Frank, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, gives the team instructions during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) — Spurs parted company with Thomas Frank earlier this month (Image credit: Getty Images)

Former finance minister Mikael Damberg made reference to his opponents' economic plan by describing it as 'Spursy'. The colloquial term, derived from Tottenham's repeated shortcomings particularly on the big stage, has permeated popular footballing discourse among fans and apparently legislators in the Scandinavian country, too.

Damberg's Spurs reference related to the Swedish economy in the sense that the country has vast resources but is currently underperforming where it should be expected to be.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - SEPTEMBER 19: Mikael Damberg , Economic Spokesperson for the Social Democrats speaks after Minister of Finance Elisabeth Svantesson presents the budget on September 19, 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Nils Petter Nilsson/Getty Images) — Mikael Damberg, Economic Spokesperson for the Social Democrats (Image credit: Getty Images)

The politician defined 'Spursy' to the Swedish parliament as a state where there are 'opportunities but get no results' due to 'wrong decisions and short-term thinking', before delivering a stark warning.

"Don't let Sweden become 'Spursy'," he said. "We can't afford to perform like Tottenham".

As is the case nowadays, the opportunity for fans of rival clubs to pile on a team currently in poor form was gleefully taken up causing Damberg's comments to go viral.

On social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Damberg outlined that he was not an Arsenal fan taking the chance to make a cheap joke at the team's expensive, but that instead he only supports Swedish club AIK.

"Yes, I called the Swedish government's economic plan 'Spursy.' And before anyone starts again: No, that does not mean I'm an Arsenal fan," he wrote, before doubling down on his initial statement. "I support AIK Fotboll. But the Swedish government's economic plan still performs like Tottenham".

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Joe joined FourFourTwo as senior digital writer in July 2025 after five years covering Leeds United in the Championship and Premier League. Joe's 'Mastermind' specialist subject is 2000s-era Newcastle United having had a season ticket at St. James' Park for 10 years before relocating to Leeds and later London. Joe takes a keen interest in youth football, covering PL2, U21 Euros, as well as U20 and U17 World Cups in the past, in addition to hosting the industry-leading football recruitment-focused SCOUTED podcast. He is also one of the lucky few to have 'hit top bins' as a contestant on Soccer AM. It wasn't a shin-roller.

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