Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho was spotted hosting a small training session in a London park. EPA
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho was spotted hosting a small training session in a London park. EPA
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho was spotted hosting a small training session in a London park. EPA
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho was spotted hosting a small training session in a London park. EPA

Tottenham 'reinforce' social distancing rules after Jose Mourinho hosts small training session in London park


  • English
  • Arabic

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho could find himself in hot water with both the club and the authorities after he and some members of his squad flouted social distancing rules by training in a London park.

Mourinho was photographed at an outdoor training session at Hadley Common in north London with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele despite government guidelines for people to stay indoors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Centre-back Davinson Sanchez and left-back Ryan Sessegnon were filmed by passers-by running together through the park, while right-back Serge Aurier uploaded a picture to social media of him jogging alongside a friend.

In response to these images, Tottenham have reminded their staff to respect the government guidelines.

"All of our players have been reminded to respect social distancing when exercising outdoors. We shall continue to reinforce this message," a Spurs spokesperson told British media.

According to UK government guidelines, people are permitted to go outside to exercise once per day, but are instructed to do so alone or with a member from the same household

Tottenham have already drawn public criticism for their decision to impose pay cuts on the club's 550-strong non-playing staff while relying on the UK government's furlough-relief scheme.

The Premier League was suspended last month because of the pandemic and the government has asked the public to stay at home to help slow the spread of the virus.

Over in Germany, a number of Bundesliga clubs have returned to their training grounds, including champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, and Bayer Leverkusen.

However, the players are adhering to social distancing by training only in pairs and two metres apart, which you can see in the photo gallery below.

  • Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the club's first training session back on April 6 after the coronavirus lockdown. Getty
    Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the club's first training session back on April 6 after the coronavirus lockdown. Getty
  • Bayern manager Hansi Flick, left, and Thomas Mueller during a training session as the team returned to training for the first time since the Bundesliga campaign was halted by the coronavirus pandemic. EPA
    Bayern manager Hansi Flick, left, and Thomas Mueller during a training session as the team returned to training for the first time since the Bundesliga campaign was halted by the coronavirus pandemic. EPA
  • Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during training on Monday. Getty
    Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during training on Monday. Getty
  • Manuel Neuer at the Saebener Strasse training ground in Munich. Getty
    Manuel Neuer at the Saebener Strasse training ground in Munich. Getty
  • Manuel Neuer, left, and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick. EPA
    Manuel Neuer, left, and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick. EPA
  • Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry during training at the Saebener Strasse training ground. Getty
    Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry during training at the Saebener Strasse training ground. Getty
  • Robert Lewandowski passes the ball to Kingsley Coman during a training session at Saebener Strasse training ground. Getty
    Robert Lewandowski passes the ball to Kingsley Coman during a training session at Saebener Strasse training ground. Getty
  • Manuel Neuer at Saebener Strasse training ground in Munich. Getty
    Manuel Neuer at Saebener Strasse training ground in Munich. Getty
  • Joshua Kimmich trains in Munich on Monday. Getty
    Joshua Kimmich trains in Munich on Monday. Getty
  • Manager Hansi Flick at the Saebener Strasse training ground. Getty
    Manager Hansi Flick at the Saebener Strasse training ground. Getty
  • Thomas Mueller with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during a training session on Monday. Getty
    Thomas Mueller with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during a training session on Monday. Getty