The Observer travels deep into the heart of north London to explore whether the bitter rivalry is all it’s cracked up to be
Stoke Newington on the verge of derby weekend is not a place for the faint of heart. Located right in the centre of the bitter turf war between the historic rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, even on a sunny Friday lunchtime its leafy parks and terrace-lined streets drip with menace. Take a wrong turn, or catch the wrong eye, and nobody can really say what will happen next. A King Charles spaniel yowls ferally on the approach to Clissold Park. The blood on the pavement outside the bakery turns out, on closer inspection, to be jam from a doughnut.
Such is the omertà around this 111-year feud, which resumes on Sunday afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, that local business owners feign impartiality or even ignorance of the forthcoming fixture, presumably wary of reprisals from rival fans. “Is it Spurs v Arsenal this weekend?” says a woman arranging the display of a local flower shop, who gives her name only as Laura. “I’m not much of a football fan.”
Written by Jonathan Liew
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/sep/14/tottenham-arsenal-blood-feud-or-battle-of-banter-bragging-rights under the title “Tottenham v Arsenal: blood feud or a bit of banter for bragging rights?”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
