Tottenham Hotspur say they are "astonished" by an article in Marca, Spain's best-selling daily newspaper, claiming that the club is "hated" for its Jewish origins.
The Madrid-based sports daily printed the claim on Monday as part of its coverage of Tottenham's visit to the Spanish capital to play Real Madrid in Tuesday's Champions League group game.
The article, bylined to Marca's senior reporter Enrique Ortega, claimed that Spurs were "hated" by rival fans, adding: "Their Jewish origin has made them into a club disliked by rival fans...but in their 135 years of existence they have always had style and great players."
A Spurs statement in response, given to ESPN FC, read: "We are astonished that a publication such as Marca, which presents itself as an alleged source of professional journalism, has seen fit to publish such an article which is blatantly wrong and wholly distasteful."
Marca has not yet commented.
From Spain: Tottenham an enemy, hated by fans around the country, Jewish connection a reason. #THFC #COYS https://t.co/bFG6TC19nN pic.twitter.com/uAxGeR2C7x
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) October 16, 2017
Spurs traditionally have a large Jewish following and sections of the club's supporters refers to themselves as "Yids" -- a negative way of describing a person of the Jewish faith.
In 2013, the Football Association warned supporters of all clubs that chanting the word "Yid" could result in arrest as part of an attempt to stamp out discriminatory language but some Spurs fans argue that they are taking ownership of a term that was previously used as an insult.
Chelsea recently asked their supporters to stopped singing an anti-semitic song about Tottenham in tribute to summer signing Alvaro Morata, which included the word "Yids", while West Ham have also had to remind their fans to refrain from anti-Semitic language in the past.
Source: espn.co.uk