Arsenal’s pre-match display ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain has been mocked as the ‘worst of all time’ by some fans, after the club reportedly rejected a proposal from supporters.
The Gunners suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to the French champions in the first leg on Tuesday night, with Ousmane Dembele scoring four minutes into the match.
Dembele’s goal dented the atmosphere at the Emirates, which Arsenal had attempted to build pre-match with a display.
Arsenal had displayed a large red flag emblazoned featuring the club’s cannon emblem in white, which had been suspended from the roof of the North Bank.
A crowd surfer banner in the East Stand was also visible pre-match with the words ‘make it happen’, a message Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had issued to his squad pre-match.
The two displays were part of planned tifos from the club, which were accompanied by fireworks and pyrotechnics.
Arsenal displayed a flag ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg with PSG
A banner with the words ‘make it happen’ was also displayed ahead of kick off in the tie
Arsenal’s displays earned unfavourable comparisons to recent displays by Man United and Aston Villa
Both Arsenal supporters and rival fans, however, were quick to criticise a perceived lack of imagination from the club in the designs.
‘I think this may be the most commonly agreed worst tifo of all time given the circumstances,’ one wrote.
‘Arsenal need to work on the atmosphere at the Emirates on big European nights, another said.
‘I know they are not used to going far in the Champions League but it is not a valid excuse for the lacklustre atmosphere and tifo in a season defining semi-final game.’
A third said: ‘I expected a very beautiful tifo from Arsenal only to discover this? It looks like FIFA career mode.’
Several fans noted creative displays from Aston Villa and Manchester United in recent weeks ahead of their matches in the Champions League and Europa League.
Others pointed to a pre-match tifo from Crystal Palace supporters ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa on Saturday at Wembley.
Several fans highlighted that the club had reportedly denied a request from the Ashburton Army – an Arsenal supporters’ group – to produce the tifo for the semi-final.
Arsenal fan group the Ashburton Army proposed three different designs to the club
Arsenal reportedly had to turn down the proposed designs due to timing issues ahead of the tie
The group had produced three designs featuring Mikel Arteta and his players, including Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
The designs were inspired by the Netflix show ‘Money Heist’, which is also known as La Casa de Papel.
Two of the designs also featured a chess board, an apparent reference to the tifo produced by Real Madrid ahead of their quarter-final with the Gunners earlier this month.
‘In just 24 hours, Arsenal fans came together to raise over £10,000 to fund what would have been our biggest ever display for the Champions League semi-final against PSG,’ the Ashburton Army said last week.
‘Unfortunately, the club has declined our proposed design, and there won’t be a display in the Clock End. As a result, everyone who contributed will be fully refunded.
‘This doesn’t change the importance of the game – we still need every single one of you on it, bring the noise and backing the team like never before.
‘Thank you to everyone who donated, we are grateful for your continued support.’
Responding to Arsenal’s pre-match display, one Gunners fan said ‘Arsenal turned down the fans tifo design request to produce this monstrosity. Champions League semi-final and this was the best they could come up with? So disappointed’.
The Gunners came up short in their clash with the French side in the Champions League
Rooney suggested that Arsenal’s fans were ‘subdued’ as they watched on at the Emirates
‘With all the hype I was expecting a brilliant tifo from Arsenal. That was very, very poor,’ another wrote wrote. Which shows you why fan funded displays are so much better.’
‘No offence but it’s quite crazy that Arsenal denied the Ashburton Army the chance to create a tifo and then go on to deliver that thing pre-match.’
Despite criticism from supporters, Arsenal reportedly did not reject the fan produced designs.
The club were reportedly unable to accept the proposal due to timing issues.
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Arsenal fans were also criticised for a lack of atmosphere on the night by former Man United forward Wayne Rooney, who was working as a pundit for Amazon Prime.
Speaking on Amazon Prime, Rooney said: ‘They [PSG] were by far the better team. Tactically they were excellent – they knew when to press and go into a lower block. They could have won by two or three.
‘I was a bit disappointed with how they played and the fans as well. Against Madrid they were excellent but today they were subdued and it was an anticlimax. The fans had to be there tonight. On both sides, it wasn’t good enough from Arsenal.’
‘The players need help. I thought the fan here against Madrid was the best I’d heard it. They gave a massive amount of energy but tonight they didn’t give them that same energy – it can be the difference.
‘The fans have been a lot – and I am not blaming them – but if they brought the same energy from Madrid, it could have given them a lift.’
