Glenn Hoddle says Cristian Romero has acted “scandalous” by planning to stay in Argentina instead of supporting Tottenham in their relegation decider against Everton, after Romero is ruled out for the season with a knee injury. The controversy comes as Spurs’
Cristian Romero’s name is usually tied to Tottenham’s fight. This time. it’s tied to something else—an Argentina trip that has sparked fury from one of the club’s biggest legends. with Glenn Hoddle branding the decision “scandalous” and questioning what it means to be captain when the stakes are as high as they get.
Tottenham’s relegation survival equation is now set for Sunday after their failure to gain a point at Stamford Bridge against London rivals Chelsea. Spurs’ Premier League fate rests on the result of their match against Everton, as well as what happens when West Ham take on Leeds United.
Romero, 28, will not be there for that decisive moment. He was ruled out for the season after injuring his knee against Sunderland. and he has travelled back to Argentina at the start of the week—prior to Tottenham’s game against Chelsea. Now he is understood to be planning to stay in his native country this weekend rather than support Spurs during the relegation decider.
Supporters have been urged to rally around Roberto De Zerbi’s team as the club battles to stay up. but the captain’s absence from the crucial match day scene has hit nerves across the club. Romero is expected to use the weekend to back his boyhood club, Belgrano, in their Championship final against River Plate.
Belgrano posted a video on social media on Friday showing Romero at their training ground in Córdoba, underscoring that his focus is firmly on the match in Argentina rather than the Premier League finale at home.
Hoddle, a former Tottenham captain and manager, reacted with unusual heat on social media network Peek. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” he said. “The captain of the football club has gone to Argentina to watch a game back there that is so-called more important than Tottenham’s last game of the season with the club on the brink of going down. He’s captain of the football club. It’s scandalous!”.
He added: “It sums his selfishness up. He can’t be a captain and act like that. If it was for his family or something like that then fine but if this is true that he’s going back to watch a football match, then let him stay in Argentina and get as much money for him as possible.”
Hoddle went further. saying he would “drive him to the airport and say don’t bother coming back. ” and recalling what captaincy used to mean in his own playing days. “When I think back to the captains I played for and the great captains who went before me. the pride that you have in being captain of Tottenham. Wow. It’s absolutely scandalous.”.
Teddy Sheringham, another former Spurs striker and captain, echoed the anger. He called Sunday’s match “the biggest game in the history of the club. ” and said Romero’s absence won’t just be felt on the pitch. “This is going to be one nervy game and when your captain is not there that does not set a good example for everyone. ” Sheringham said. “That is naughty, that is loose from whoever is letting him do what he wants to do.”.
Sheringham then challenged the logic of the decision: “How does he even go about that?. Is it ok if I go back to Argentina because my boyhood club are playing in an important game… What?. Don’t even ask the question!. No!. I need you alongside your teammates in the dressing room to give them some support. I can’t believe he’s asked the question, I can’t believe he’s been allowed to go. That sets a precedent that does.”.
The frustration sits alongside what Tottenham have already been dealing with this season. Romero has featured just once under De Zerbi so far. and he is expected to leave in the summer after interest from Atletico Madrid last year. Earlier in the week. De Zerbi shut down questions about Romero’s future. making it clear that it will only be a topic for discussion once the campaign is over.
When asked if he wants Romero to stay at Tottenham and be part of his plans, De Zerbi’s answer was short and sharp: “It is a good question, but it is the wrong timing, no?”
In the narrow window between injury and next season, Tottenham now face their most immediate test. The club must find a result against Everton on Sunday to keep their Premier League status alive—while West Ham’s match against Leeds United could decide everything else. In that moment, the debate won’t be about tactics. It will be about leadership, and whether the captain’s priorities were aligned with the club’s last lifeline.
Tottenham Cristian Romero Glenn Hoddle Roberto De Zerbi Everton Premier League relegation Belgrano River Plate Stamford Bridge West Ham Leeds United knee injury Atletico Madrid