The football world has long been full of greed and selfishness, but the connection between Arsenal and their supporters has never been clearer than this week.
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The proposed Super League threatened to drastically change the football landscape and not for the better – the whole sport’s ecosystem was threatened by the idea of this egocentric breakaway competition, of which Arsenal was one of the founding members.
KSE has not yet been embraced by Gunners loyalists and judging by the current mood, they will never be. The club is currently working at a loss, their plans to generate increased revenue have embarrassingly failed and what incentive is there for them to stay?
Over the years, they have been accused of caring very little about the sporting side of things and in truth, they have done very little to suggest anything else. After taking full control of the club as early as 2018, many feared the worst and this failed coup from a group of Europe’s “elite clubs” has shed light on what their intentions were all along – this was not planned overnight.
Vinai Venkatesham denied that Arsenal were one of those who pressed hardest for the Super League during Thursday’s fan forum. He said they were not “the authors or the driving forces behind this proposal”.
He also added: “In this situation, it was clear to us that the train was leaving the station. This project was about to be launched with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, and we needed to assess whether this launch happened without us, and this tournament was carried out without us, what it would mean for the club. ”
Vinai Venkatesham denies Arsenal was one of the authors of this plan Chris Brunskill / Fantasista / Getty Images
Venkatesham suggested that the club’s decision was a last minute driven by the fear of remaining. Strange and very hard to believe – especially when you consider that Stan Kroenke was appointed one of the Super League vice presidents.
The passive ownership style and their lack of investment over the years has been frustrating and while some supporters have campaigned in the past, the news of the Super League was in many ways a straw that broke the camels back.
Those who were once indifferent or perhaps felt that their voices would not be heard really felt hurt by this betrayal and when they made this decision, the KSE gave the less extreme in their view of the owners the call for weapons they needed.
Here’s every word Josh Kroenke and Vinai Venkatesham said at today’s fan forum about:
? Want to build trust with #AFC fans
⚪ Why KSE does not intend to sell
? Why fans should “be happy” for summer plans
Almost 5000 words and more: https: //t.co/EuH3hnk8wi
– Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) April 22, 2021
Nothing good could come of what these six Premier League clubs were trying to do, but if you’re looking for a silver lining – it can be found in the fact that Arsenal fans, for the first time in several years, are united.
This was an attack on the sport, the club, its fans and its values. Given the skepticism surrounding KSE in the past, there is no going back. They are no strangers to controversial decisions and the backlash that accompanies them – just ask those who follow the Rams. However, there is no such thing as affiliation between football clubs and their loving fans.
The fact that they misjudged public opinion about this so badly highlights how disconnected Arsenal’s American owners are from those who actually follow the club. KSE hopes that the heat will subside in the coming weeks as the focus shifts back to football itself, but it is imperative that Gunners’ followers continue to express their concerns and are persistent in their efforts to get rid of these arrogant businessmen.
They are talking a good game and suggested that they invest in the squad this summer – but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to push Arsenal back to a Champions League position, a failed team, especially in a time like this, means that they miss out on the revenue generated by Europe’s premier competition, and that affects the balance sheets.
After hearing directly that they are not wanted or trusted by the fans, KSE is obviously at a crossroads.
Either invest, prove the fans wrong and restore the club’s status as a European heavyweight or sell up, go out and transfer custody of this football institution to someone who will do it.
