Daniel Levy has stepped down as Tottenham chairman, the club announced Thursday, ending the nearly 25-year tenure of a divisive figure known for keeping the Premier League team profitable but being unable to turn it into a trophy-winning force.
The 63-year-old Levy, who was the longest-serving chairman in the Premier League, said he has left his role with Tottenham now a “global heavyweight competing at the highest level.”
“It hasn’t always been an easy journey," Levy said, “but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.”
Levy's departure comes several months after Tottenham ended a 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League final. It was the first major title for Spurs since they won the English League Cup in 2008, and first European triumph since they won the UEFA Cup — the equivalent of the Europa League now — for the second time in 1984.
Known as a fierce and uncompromising negotiator in the transfer market, Levy also was accused by many Tottenham fans of chasing profits over silverware in failing to fully back some of the most high-profile managers in soccer that he employed in recent years, such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
There were protests against his tenure last season, when Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League — one place above the bottom three — despite the club being among the so-called “Big Six” in English soccer and owning one of the best stadiums in world soccer.
Levy oversaw the move from White Hart Lane to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, its home since 2019 and now a venue for concerts and other sporting events like boxing and NFL.
Tottenham said there would be “no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure of the club” in light of the departure of Levy, who reportedly owns around 30% of the share capital of ENIC, the club's majority owner.
Peter Charrington has become non-executive chairman and he thanked Levy and his family for “their commitment and loyalty to the club over so many years.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
