Joe Lewis is Tottenham's no-nonsense boss... the billionaire owner once ditched a player who was a nuisance on an end-of-season trip and is now fighting for justice amid insider trading charges
One of the more revealing stories about Joe Lewis comes from Tottenham's end-of-season trip to the Bahamas in 2013.
This was a rare step into the private world of the club's billionaire owner, who invited manager Andre Villas-Boas and his squad to Albany, the luxury 600-acre resort he co-owns with close friend Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Justin Timberlake. An idyllic piece of real estate frequented by the planet's richest few.
According to sources, one player proved a nuisance on the jaunt, which ended with a friendly against Jamaica to open the Bahamas' new national stadium.
He had taken a shine to the hospitality, the endless supply of luxury food and drink, and his behaviour was such that he was barred from heading into the nearby nightclub that had become popular with the group.
More than once the player had boldly poked fun at Lewis, who appeared to take it in good grace. Towards the end of the trip, the player spotted Lewis at the far end of his 323ft yacht, Aviva III, enjoying a glass of wine. He headed over to jokingly 'grill' the boss on the vintage of the tipple.
A smiling Lewis gave a detailed response before shrugging off the unimpressed player's demand to 'down it'. He would never kick a ball for Spurs again and was sold. The message was loud and clear: this is not a man to be crossed.
No expense had been spared on a trip that went down in folklore, even among millionaire footballers. Players were split between villas and boats and told to enjoy themselves. There were no training sessions. The only order was to be there for the game.
When it was time to return home, some wondered if the whole thing was a week-long sales pitch to persuade them to part with £3million for a property.
The destination certainly
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