Peter Herbert, chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, deemed the Spurs supporters' chants of 'Yids' to be unacceptable in a 10-point plan put forward on Wednesday to combat racism in football.

Tottenham's fan base, which traditionally comprises of a large Jewish contingent, have used the term in defiance against discrimination, and the club have issued a statement insisting that the term is not used to cause offence.

"Our guiding principle in respect of the 'Y-word' is based on the point of law itself - the distinguishing factor is the intent with which it is used i.e. if it is used with the deliberate intention to cause offence. This has been the basis of prosecutions of fans of other teams to date," a Tottenham statement read.

"Our fans adopted the chant as a defence mechanism in order to own the term and thereby deflect anti-Semitic abuse. They do not use the term to others to cause any offence, they use it to chant amongst themselves.

"The club believes that real anti-Semitic abuse such as hissing to simulate the noise of gas chambers is the real evil and the real offence.

"We believe this is the area that requires a determined and concerted effort from all parties and where we seek greater support to eradicate."