Tottenham suspend Yves Bissouma over nitrous oxide video

Ange Postecoglou says midfielder must now work to rebuild trust with him and the rest of the Spurs squad

Yves Bissouma has been suspended by Tottenham for one match after the player filmed himself inhaling nitrous oxide, with manager Ange Postecoglou admitting he must now win back the trust of his team-mates.
Bissouma, 27, posted a video of himself on social media on Saturday showing him inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon, a class C drug known as laughing gas or NOS, recreational use of which was made a criminal offence last year.
The player quickly issued an apology but Spurs manager Postecoglou revealed he had been removed from the squad for Monday’s trip to Leicester City, the club’s opening game of the Premier League season.
“He has responsibilities,” the Australian said. “Responsibility to the club, his team-mates, to our supporters and everyone associated with the club — and he failed in those duties.
“There have got to be sanctions for that. He won’t be available for Monday, we have suspended him for Monday’s game.
“Beyond that there is also some trust-building that needs to happen between Biss [Bissouma] and me, and Biss and the group. That’s what he needs to work hard at from now on to try and win that back, and that has nothing to do with just one game.
“He may be suspended for one game but he is going to have to earn that. The door is open for him and, hopefully, we can help him to realise the decisions he makes impact more than just him and, hopefully, allows him to make better decisions going forward.”
It is not clear whether a criminal investigation will be launched as a result. “It’s not my area, mate, and I wouldn’t even bother having a discussion around that because that’s totally out of my control,” Postegoclou added.
Postecoglou made it clear he and the club would be making efforts to help Bissouma avoid getting himself into future strife. “From hereon, it is about trying to help him both as a person and as a footballer to make better decisions,” he said.
“There is a person involved and in this case it’s Biss and he has made a really poor decision. You want to understand that and try to help him through that and, as a club, what we can do to make sure he doesn’t make those kinds of choices and decisions in the future.
“Within that context there are still sanctions that are involved and some of those sanctions include education and giving him a clearer understanding of why he did what he did and how wrong it was. Hopefully through that, he comes out of it — you always want to give people the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”
Bissouma, who joined Spurs from Brighton for £30 million in 2022, made it clear earlier in the week that he understood the severity of his error. “I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgment,” he said.
“I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”
Bissouma is not the first high-profile footballer known to have used the substance. “How prevalent it is, I don’t know, because it’s a world away from my life,” Postecoglou added. “But I think the best way is awareness and education, and understanding the ramifications of making those kinds of decisions. 
“There’s the personal ramifications because it’s illegal. There’s a significant price to pay there. I’m sure Biss is like every other human being, he’s got people in his life who love him, parents, and they certainly wouldn’t want to see that.
“Then there’s the professional responsibility. The image of the game. Not the image, but the example you set as a professional footballer, because there are so many people who follow the Premier League and we’re all in a pretty privileged position.
“We get well-rewarded for that. But there is a responsibility in what you do. Hopefully with education and awareness… there’s a reason it’s illegal.
“It’s not just because somebody thought, ‘Let’s just ban this for no particular reason’. There’s some science behind why it is.
“He’s made a poor choice. But within that context, we all make mistakes, there should always be an opportunity there for rehabilitation and redemption for every human being, including footballers.”