Ange Postecoglou confirms Tottenham have suspended Yves Bissouma for Monday’s clash against Leicester – after ‘footage emerged of the midfielder inhaling laughing gas’

Tottenham have suspended Yves Bissouma for Monday’s Premier League opener against Leicester after footage emerged of the midfielder inhaling laughing gas.

Bissouma posted a video of himself inhaling nitrous oxide in a chauffeur-driven limousine and laughing between puffs to his private Snapchat account.

The footage was obtained by The Sun and released just one week before Tottenham’s opening game of the 2024-2025 Premier League season. 

Bissouma released a statement on Sunday night apologising for his ‘severe lack of judgment’ and insisted he knew the risks associated with nitrous oxide.

However, Ange Postecoglou was less than impressed with Bissouma’s behaviour and said the 27-year-old was guilty of making a ‘poor decision’.   

Ange Postecoglou (pictured on the right) confirms Tottenham have ‘suspended Yves Bissouma’ (pictured on the left) for Monday’s clash against Leicester

Bissouma is entering his third season with the north London side, having made 56 appearances in total for the club

Speaking about Bissouma, Postecoglou said: ‘Look, again I’ve been in the game for a long time and every time situations like this arise. They do happen. I’ve always tried to look at them in a few ways as there’s a person involved. In this case it’s Biss. 

‘He’s made a really poor decision and we want to try and help through that and we as a club want to try and make sure he doesn’t make those decisions in the future. 

‘Within that context there are sanctions involved some of those sanctions include education and giving him a clear understanding over why he did was wrong. And hopefully he comes out of it. 

‘You always want to give people an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. 

‘The second part of that is that he is a footballer and he has responsibilities to the club and team-mates and supporters and he has failed in those duties – so there have to be sanctions for that. 

‘He won’t be available for Monday we’ve suspended him for Monday’s game. But there is also some relationship building between Biss and me and the group. That’s what he needs to work hard at to try and win that back. 

‘Hopefully the door is open for him and hopefully we can help him realised that the decision impacts more than just him and allow him to make better decisions going forward.’

When asked how Bissouma can go about earning his trust back, Postecoglou said: ‘Behaviour mate. It’s that simple. It’s about making better decisions. He was very apologetic to me, the club and everyone involved but that’s just part of it.’

Postecoglou has also said Bissouma needs to earn the trust of the Spurs group back

Possession of laughing gas with an intent to use recreationally was made illegal in the UK last year. Nitrous oxide, known as ‘hippy crack’, is contained in canisters, which can be super-sized

In November, the law was changed to make nitrous oxide a controlled Class C Drug. Possession for inhalation is now deemed a criminal offence but a conviction may be unlikely

Possession of laughing gas with an intent to use recreationally was made illegal in the UK last year. Nitrous oxide, known as ‘hippy crack’, is contained in canisters, which can be super-sized. 

The canisters are then used to fill balloons which are inhaled to provide a quick ‘high’. But, usage carries a series of risks including heart attack, strokes and brain damage. There have been fatalities among users.

In November, the law was changed to make nitrous oxide a controlled Class C Drug. Possession for inhalation is now deemed a criminal offence although a conviction may be unlikely unless it appears as though there is a desire to supply others.

New, super-sized canisters can deliver 80 times the usual dose, while canisters can be obtained online and relatively cheaply as long as the buyer confirms they are over 18 and it is to be used for food production.

There are concerns that its usage is rife among Premier League footballers with routine drug tests unlikely to detect its presence.

Bissouma is entering his third season with the north London side, having made 56 appearances in total for the club. 

Prior to that, the midfielder had been at league rivals Brighton, where he made 124 appearances across four seasons for the Seagulls. 

More to follow…