Roberto De Zerbi atones for Mason Greenwood comments in first Spurs interview

By George Sessions, Press Association

New Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has apologised for his past comments on Marseille forward Mason Greenwood and insisted he would never intentionally downplay the issue of violence against women.

Spurs turned to De Zerbi after interim head coach Igor Tudor was sacked on Sunday, with the Premier League outfit in 17th position and only one point above the bottom three after a disastrous campaign.

However, De Zerbi faced opposition from fan groups Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach in the days before his appointment due to his remarks as Marseille boss about Greenwood, who faced charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2022 before they were dropped.

Roberto De Zerbi’s first interview as Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/PJRwccK1Y7

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 2, 2026

In his first interview with Tottenham’s in-house media, De Zerbi said: “I would like to answer your question in Italian because I want to be clear.

“I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly.

“In my life, I have always stood up for those who are more vulnerable, more fragile, I’ve consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk.

“Those of you who know me well, will know that I am not the kind of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title.

“I am sorry if I offended anyone’s feeling with this subject matter – I have a daughter and I’m very sensitive to these things, and I always have been.

“I hope that over time people will get to know me better and will understand that at that moment I didn’t mean to take a stance.”

Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a woman after images and videos were posted online.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”.

Ex-Manchester United forward Greenwood, who denied the charges, has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.

In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy”, who had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”

After speculation around De Zerbi intensified last week, Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach posted ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements, but the Italian was subsequently appointed.

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust immediately stated it had “serious and far-reaching concerns” with De Zerbi being hired, but the Press Association understands Spurs carefully considered and discussed the comments and sentiments around Greenwood with De Zerbi during negotiations.

De Zerbi’s immediate focus is Tottenham’s current precarious position in the Premier League and the 46-year-old promised to be in charge next season even if they are in the Championship.

“I signed five years of contract because, for me, it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what,” De Zerbi said.

“It’s a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham but I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment.

“I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players and we have to work on their confidence and qualities.”