Davinson Sanchez was booed by Tottenham fans as he was substituted during the 3-2 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday; interim manager Cristian Stellini said the club must "support" the defender; Hugo Lloris said: "I've never seen this in my career"
Sunday 16 April 2023 11:21, UK
Hugo Lloris has expressed his sadness at the Tottenham supporters' treatment of Davinson Sanchez after the defender was booed by his own fans in the defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Sanchez came off the bench during the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to replace the injured Clement Lenglet but endured an unhappy afternoon as Bournemouth claimed a 3-2 victory with a 95th-minute winner.
Sanchez was inadvertently involved in the Cherries' first two goals, playing the ball to Pedro Porro - who was then dispossessed in the build-up to the first strike - before deflecting the ball into Dominic Solanke's path for the striker to score the second.
The Colombia international was then replaced by Arnaut Danjuma as Cristian Stellini made attacking changes, with jeers raining down from the crowd as Sanchez made his way back to the bench.
But Spurs captain Lloris said that was not an isolated incident and described the situation as "sad for the club".
"It started earlier," Lloris told beIN Sports. "It's when he came on the pitch. I've never seen this in my career.
"I feel really bad for Davinson. He's a team-mate, he's a friend and he's been fighting for the club for many, many years now.
"It's just sad. The story is sad for the club, for the fans, for the player. It's something you don't want to see in football."
Stellini took responsibility for the decision to take off Sanchez after previously bringing him on as a substitute, adding that Spurs must support him during a "tough moment".
"I understand it's a tough moment for everyone and we have to analyse this moment," said the interim manager. "Everyone needs to analyse how important it is to support a player.
"I take the responsibility for the decisions I make. I thought it was too early in the game to use another striker because we were 1-0 up in the first half.
"When we were 2-1 down I thought it was the moment Davinson has to [come off]. It was only a tactical decision.
"We need to support him because it's a tough moment for him and also for all the team."
Former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson criticised the supporters that booed Sanchez, saying the experience is "awful for a player".
Speaking on Soccer Saturday, Dawson said: "It wasn't his fault for the first goal - he played it out to Pedro Porro and Porro loses the ball.
"The second goal, it ricochets and goes into the feet of Solanke.
"What I don't like is when your own fans boo you. I feel for Sanchez. It's awful for a player and his confidence looks shot. He'll be hurting and that's not nice to see."
