Tottenham to make Pro Ref complaint as De Zerbi hits out after Leeds loss

A frustrated Roberto De Zerbi turned on his Tottenham players in the aftermath of their disappointing 1-0 defeat away at Leeds.

Consecutive victories against Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace had lifted the mood at Spurs ahead of their trip to Elland Road following a chastening start to the 2026-27 campaign. But De Zerbi saw his side's mini-revival halted courtesy of a 79th minute goal from Noah Okafor.

Leeds' win, which leaves Tottenham in 10th position, was somewhat overshadowed by the controversial call that saw Jayden Bogle escape a red card for a poor challenge on Mathys Tel despite a VAR check.

BBC Sport claim that the club are ready to lodge a complaint to Pro Ref over the decision involving the right-back and Tel, who had to be substituted following the tackle. But De Zerbi pointed the finger at his players rather than the match officials after the game, questioning their character.

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De Zerbi said: “We won no duels, no one-to-ones. There was space to play and we didn’t take the right decisions. We didn’t show personality or what we are, who we are. It’s a part of the journey. It’s not an excuse and it can be normal in football but we have to be honest.

“If you are not honest today the future is not good. If we analyse our second-half behaviour honestly then I think we can become a top team. We have the physicality and the quality but it’s not just about the physicality game. We didn’t show character, personality or courage.

“My players have the ability to come here, play better and maybe win. But maybe we are not ready yet to be consistent for many games in a row. We know where we have to work and improve.

“I was surprised by the second half as my players worked very well this week. We spoke all week about the intensity and the type of game we would find here in this stadium so it was not a surprise for us.”

On John Brooks' decision not to brandish a red card to Bogle, De Zerbi added: “I was surprised because in the same position in the second half there were two different fouls, the yellow card for Pedro Porro is not possible. I don’t know if it is a red card or not on Mathys Tel but the parameter of the referee was not good enough for this in both situations.”