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7 Sep, 2021 17:33

‘Pathetic gesture politics’: Fans scoff at plans to make Spurs vs Chelsea ‘net zero carbon match’ with vegan food & biofuel buses

‘Pathetic gesture politics’: Fans scoff at plans to make Spurs vs Chelsea ‘net zero carbon match’ with vegan food & biofuel buses

English football fans have derided plans launched for the upcoming Tottenham vs Chelsea Premier League clash match to be 'carbon neutral', with supporters urged to travel by public transport and eat only vegan food at the game.

The proposal for the September 19 fixture between the two London rivals comes amid a plan to hold the first-ever net zero carbon elite-level domestic game, with both clubs understood to be working alongside British broadcaster Sky Sports to cut out as many harmful emissions as possible related to the game. 

Players from both clubs will arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in coaches powered by biofuel, while in-game refreshments will come in the shape of recyclable cartons rather than plastic water bottles. 

Fans attending the game have also been asked to be conscious of their own carbon footprint and transport themselves to the Premier League game by sustainable means such as public transport or carpooling, while food vendors inside the stadium will offer fans a range of plant-based, vegan food. 

The Premier League's 'net zero' proposal is centered around instituting measures such as those listed above to reduce carbon emissions, with several other proposals (such as tree planting drives) set up to offset the remainder of the unavoidable emissions which scientists maintain causes significant harm to the earth's atmosphere.

Earlier this year, Tottenham were named as the Premier League's 'greenest' club after the came out on top of study into top flight clubs' impact on the environment. They are also signatories to the United Nations' Sports for Climate Action plan, a framework designed to give sports teams a targets with which to make their own positive impact on reducing emissions, something Spurs chairman Daniel Levy described as a "ground-breaking initiative that will demonstrate the role our game can play in addressing the urgent issue of climate change."

However, the plan hasn't quite been endorsed by several commenters on social media who stated that the idea is little more than another meaningless gesture from the 'woke' brigade - especially given that estimates suggest that 71% of harmful emissions come from 100 global companies.

"Hi Sky Sports," wrote one football fan. "Good to see you backing football’s carbon zero initiative. Does this mean you will stop moving fixtures to times when fans can’t travel by public transport - which increases the game’s carbon footprint?"

"So the spectators travel by bike or public transport, the footballers travel home in their Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Range Rovers etc... Same old sh*t, get the peasants to change their habits whilst the rich just carry on being rich," said another.

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"Why’s it suddenly OK to force things on people, if you're vegan fine, but I’ll make my own choices thanks," wrote a third about the plan for food vendors to sell vegan goods at the carbon neutral game.

"This is up there with most pathetic 'gesture politics' as you could possibly find," bemoaned another.

"Meanwhile.. the owners fly everywhere on their private jets. This just makes me want a big juicy burger for dinner," added one more football fan.

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