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The Tottenham interim head coach has been speaking about a moment that went viral between him and a long serving member of the club staff
Igor Tudor affectionately calls one long-serving Tottenham employee 'Arne' after a viral moment when many believed he hugged the Spurs man after mistaking him for Liverpool boss Arne Slot.
Before the north London club's draw at Anfield last weekend, the Tottenham interim boss playfully tapped a bald-headed man's shoulder on the touchline, appearing to believe it was the Dutchman. However, Tudor's smile suddenly dropped as he seemed to realise after hugging them that it was not Slot.
The Croatian had instead grabbed Spurs' team manager and player liaison officer Allan Dixon. The moment with the long-serving Dixon, who is the brother-in-law of ex-Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, swept across social media as football fans tried to work out whether a gaffe had been made.
On Wednesday night, ahead of Spurs' 3-2 win against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League the two men recreated the exchange in a light-hearted moment on the touchline at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"This time we did it on purpose!" joked Tudor. "What happened was my son, who is 20-years-old, said 'in Croatia everyone is laughing at you because you made this mistake'.
"I said, ‘What mistake?’ You do know who the guy is?’. ‘No, I don’t know’. I said, 'it’s Allan Dixon, I’m spending all my days together with him'.
“So I came out [at Anfield] and he’s standing in front of my bench. What other coach can be there in front of it? It’s my training zone. He was there, I came to him to make a joke. If you understand, I came from this side (Dixon's right), I touched him and went to the other side. When he turned I was not surprised, I was laughing.
"I can imagine in Croatia because maybe they don’t know who Allan Dixon is. But in England do they think I don’t recognise the guy I spend every day, ten hours, with?! I come out and don’t know he is? It was a little bit ridiculous."
He added: "Now [against Atletico] we did it on purpose to make a joke, because from now on I call him ‘Arne’! It’s not Allan, it’s Arne!
"But this is how it works, this is 2026, it’s about news, to have fun. It’s part of the work of today, but sometimes it's really ridiculous. I don't understand it, but you need to invent some news."
France defender Laurent Blanc used to kiss the bald head of goalkeeper Fabien Barthez before every match, so after struggling Spurs impressed in both games after Tudor's Dixon moments, will the two men's interaction become a superstition that must be maintained?
"We will see," Tudor would only say with a smile.
Spurs host Nottingham Forest on Sunday in a huge game in the Premier League relegation battle with the two teams slumped in 16th and 17th in the table respectively and a point apart. While Tottenham beat Atletico but exited the Champions League on Wednesday night, the following evening Forest needed extra-time and penalties to edge past Midtjylland in Denmark.
Tudor hopes that Vitor Pereira's side go as far as possible in Europe in order to keep them distracted and expending extra energy in the final weeks of the season, although he admits it may benefit them.
"Of course I would be happy. This is normal. [If] this takes energy, for sure it helps," admitted the former Juventus boss. "Sometimes even going on in a European competition gives something else, confidence and energy,
“So sometimes it not always takes away from you, especially when you have two squads like two teams. If you don’t have injuries, it can be an advantage even to pass to the next round because it can give some energy in the dressing room."
Tudor will have Richarlison back up front for the clash with Forest after serving a European suspension in midweek and he believes the Brazilian striker, who has previously fired Everton away from relegation, can be a Tottenham talisman for the final weeks of the season.
"He’s a good guy and he cares. I didn’t know him [before]. With his tattoo and everything…he is a really amazing guy. Very calm, very caring for the squad, very willing to help the team-mates," he said. "He is always very generous the way he plays. Happy to have him."
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