ARSENAL ANTI-EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE
LONDON, 2021
Arsenal fans protest outside Emirates Stadium and call for Stan Kroenke’s resignation
following the announcement of plans for a new European Super League (ESL), April 2021.
This controversial announcement united football fans across the U.K. and the rest of
Europe in anger against wealthy club owners.
"The ESL felt like a very personal attack on each and every one of us; it was as though the
game was being torn away from fans to be controlled by those who neither understand nor
care about it" - Crystal Palace supporter Chris Waters interviewed by the Guardian.
Chris Webb wrote for Tribune magazine, "All of these things have been forced on us
without any true response. And the same can be said of ownership - why should we
accept that our clubs, with all of their history, with all of the work that went into building
them up over decades, should be owned by millionaires and billionaires with no
connections to our communities?".
I’m not particularly knowledgable about football, nor am I an active fan, but anti-ESL
protests were anti-capitalist protests and my strong feelings about public services being public owned are transferable to football clubs being fan owned, the fights are closely
aligned. Despite how disappointing it felt at the time of these demonstrations to watch
a lack solidarity from outside of the football community, especially in the midst of having
our right to protest taken away, seeing fans put their rivalries on hold for the common fight against the super league was inspiring and I hope this can be something we take note
of throughout our non-sporting movements, in our wider fights against oppression.
