Harry Kane honoured by ‘fugly’ statue that remained hidden for four years as fans say ‘we need to give up’
THE first photographs of Harry Kane's secret statue, which has sat hidden for years, have been revealed four years after the making.
The sculpture of England and Tottenham record goal-scorer was commissioned by the borough of Waltham Forest in 2019.
Under the headline ‘Waste of money or fitting tribute?’, The Big Issue magazine has published a series of pictures of an immortalised Kane sitting on a bench in football kit while resting a ball on his knee.
The statue has sat in storage because Waltham Forest Council has been unable to find a suitable location.
The council allocated £7,200 for the sculpture of the Chingford-raised footballer, who joined Bayern Munich in an £104m deal last summer.
But despite the organiser's best intentions, it seems fans believe yet another footballer's statue has been botched.
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One fan wrote: "Councils can spend s***loads of money on a fugly statue but not collect your bins."
Another declared: "They could melt it back down and use it to fill pot holes and crumbling roads across the borough."
A third wrote: "We need to just give up on statues."
A fourth said: "What a terrible looking sculpture. Such a waste of public money."
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Kane’s representatives said in February “the location of the statue is really important to us”, and that “when we get it right, we will be happy to go.”
Emma Best, one of the councillors who commissioned the statue, told the BBC she had spent “hours and hours” trying to find somewhere to put it.
Proposed locations included Chingford's Rail Station and Overground Station and Ridgeway Park, where Kane used to play as a youngster.
But the Overground site was rejected following a risk assessment by Transport for London, on the grounds it could be targeted by rival football fans.
The council told The Guardian: "The statue was paid for by a pot of about £6,600 from a fund allocated to “local initiatives, projects or improvements” that councillors in each of the borough’s 22 wards share out."
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said that he hopes Kane will one day also be honoured with a statue outside Spurs' stadium.
He is currently training with Gareth Southgate’s England squad in Burton ahead of their friendly on Saturday at Wembley against Brazil.
The 30-year-old is due to lead Bayern’s attack in the Champions League quarter-finals against old rivals Arsenal next month.