The Swedish economy will only get a boost if the government stops acting like Tottenham Hotspur football club, according to the country’s former finance minister.

Mikael Damberg, of the opposition Social Democrats, used a parliamentary debate to compare the government’s handling of the economy to the woes of the north London football club.

Damberg described Spurs as “one of England’s most distinguished clubs, a rich club with an enormous stadium, dedicated and large supporter base, everything to be considered a top team.”

However, he said that “despite this, Tottenham find themselves in crisis. They are fighting at the bottom of the table, just a few points from the relegation zone. Not because they lack resources, not because they lack benefits, but because they have squandered their opportunities.”

Spurs are currently 16th in the 20-team Premier League, just five points clear of the relegation zone. They sacked their manager, Thomas Frank, earlier this month, replacing him with Igor Tudor.

Damberg, who was finance minister from 2021 to 2022, said that the word “Spursy” was even used “when you have opportunities but get no results.”

He added that “conditions exist for the Swedish economy to prosper but due to a misdirected economic policy … the government risks making Sweden ‘Spursy.'”

“Sweden can’t perform like Tottenham.”

Spurs have two Swedish players on the books: Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall.