Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed that the club have suspended midfielder Yves Bissouma for the Premier League opener against Leicester on Monday night.
The former Brighton man was caught on social media inhaling laughing gas – an illegal offence since 2023 – and was subsequently put under investigation by Spurs.
And the Australian head coach revealed to the media during his pre-match press conference that he has decided to punish the 27-year-old for the upcoming game.
He said: “[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.
“There are still sanctions involved, and some of those are educational. The second part of that is he’s a footballer, with responsibilities.
“He won’t be available on Monday. We’ve suspended him for Monday’s game. He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group.
🚨⚪️ Postecoglou: “We’ve suspended Bissouma from Monday’s game”.
“He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group. The door is open for him but behaviour is crucial”.
It follows Bissouma posting himself inhaling laughing gas on social media. pic.twitter.com/habE6yjZf2
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2024
“The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him realise the decisions he makes impact the group.
“[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.”
Bissouma has apologised both publicly and to his team-mates since the incident but now must take his punishment on the chin.
Spurs finished fifth in the Premier League last season and will be looking to get off to a winning start when they travel to the Midlands.
