Josh Kroenke apologises to Arsenal supporters over Gunners’ role in European Super League as son of unpopular owner Stan insists that the north Londoners were one of the LAST clubs to join the breakaway group
Josh Kroenke has apologised to Arsenal supporters for the club’s role in the failed European Super League as the son of owner Stan insisted that the north Londoners were on the last clubs to join the £4.6bn scheme.
The Gunners were one of 12 European clubs to sign up for the JP Morgan-backed breakaway league that led to widespread backlash from fans, pundits and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Such was the ferocity of the discontent with the scheme that all six Premier League clubs involved in the scheme, including Arsenal, withdrew from the plot a mere 48 hours after announcing their participation.
Arsenal were understood to be one of the driving forces behind the breakaway league, alongside the American owners of Liverpool and Manchester United as well as Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
And Kroenke maintained that the Gunners were one of the final clubs to get on board with the plans out of fear of missing out on the project that Perez claimed would ‘save football’.
‘We asked ourselves, what is worse : ESL, or ESL without Arsenal?’ Kroenke said via Football London. ‘[We] also asked ourselves what do the fans want? The global fan wants AFC v Barca as often as possible.
‘English fans want to see more big matches, but you still want your cold nights in Stoke. We got it wrong.’
Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham insisted that the club were one of the last to join the twelve rebels, contrary to claims that owner Stan Kroenke was one of the driving forces behind the plot.
‘Arsenal were not the authors of this proposal, despite what many think,’ he said via Red Action Gooners. ‘On this project “the train was leaving the station”, we made the decision to join. We made a bad decision, a terrible one.’
More to follow.
