Ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United international football star is accused of ‘dodging £7 Tube fare with expired travelcard’

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Sebastien Bassong has been accused of dodging a £7 Tube fare after allegedly using an invalid travel pass and following another passenger through a London Underground barrier, it has been reported.

The ex-Premier League defender, who also played for Newcastle United, is allegedly being prosecuted by Transport for London (TfL) after a revenue officer stopped him on the network.

Bassong, 40, has insisted he did not realise the pass he had been given was not valid, telling The Sun that he had been handed the card by somebody else.

‘I didn’t know about the prosecution and I haven’t received a letter. I was using a card given to me, and I was stopped, and I didn’t know it wasn’t good enough. I use the Tube every day. I’m a good citizen.’

The case centres on an alleged incident in which Bassong is said to have attempted to use an Oyster card before entering the compulsory ticket area without a valid ticket.

In a witness statement, TfL employee Adebukola Anifowose said: ‘I observed Mr Bassong pretend to tap an Oyster card enclosed in a white wallet before tailgating through the wide-aisle gate behind another male. 

‘When requested to produce the card used at the barrier, Mr Bassong presented a Transport for London Staff Nominee Pass without the required accompanying photocard.

‘System checks later confirmed that the pass did not belong to him and had last been used in October 2025.’

The witness said checks established that the pass had been registered to an acquaintance.

Mr Anifowose added: ‘No valid ticket was shown for being in the compulsory ticket area. The fare avoided was £7.’

Bassong, who lives in north London, was reportedly required to respond to the charge by September 15 but has failed to do so.

The allegations come years after Bassong made a name for himself in the Premier League, having moved to Newcastle from French club Metz in 2008.

He moved to Tottenham the following year in a deal reported at the time to be worth £8million and became part of the Spurs side that qualified for the Champions League.

The Cameroon international scored on his Tottenham debut against Liverpool and later netted in the club’s Champions League qualifying victory over Swiss team Young Boys.

Bassong made 71 appearances for Tottenham before leaving for Norwich City in 2012.

He also spent time on loan at Wolves and Watford before establishing himself at Norwich, where he spent five years and captained the Canaries.

Bassong later joined Peterborough United in 2018 before moving to Greek side Volos, where his playing career ended later that year. 

His career included 19 appearances for Cameroon, and he has since worked as a football pundit.

The Daily Mail has approached Bassong for further comment. TfL declined to comment.