By admin 
Introduction
Tottenham Faces Legal Threat Over Barry Manilow Classic as Arsenal Fan Demands Royalties
Tottenham Hotspur are facing a potential legal battle over their use of a Barry Manilow hit at home games.
The Premier League club regularly plays Manilow’s iconic “Can’t Smile Without You” before matches, turning it into a fan favourite as supporters sing along at the £1 billion Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. During the pandemic, Spurs even used a “Can’t Smile Without You” banner to cover empty seats when matches were played behind closed doors.
Now Geoff Morrow, one of the three writers behind the 1975 song — and a lifelong Arsenal fan — has threatened legal action after Tottenham refused to pay royalties.
Speaking to The Sun, Morrow said:
“I hoped that Spurs would be willing to sit down and meet with me to discuss this, but they haven’t been interested. When we wrote the song, we never imagined it would become a football anthem. It was written as a love song. What is really frustrating is Spurs won’t accept that they are using our song.”
Other clubs routinely pay royalties when fans sing along to famous songs, such as Liverpool with “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Tottenham, however, argue that Morrow’s claim has no legal basis under licensing rules, according to The Sun.