Josh Kroenke, the son of Arsenal owner Stan, has been slammed for claiming Arsenal fans “still want their cold nights in Stoke”.
The American businessman attended a fan forum earlier this week, in the wake of the Gunners’ farcical 48-hour involvement with the European Super League (ESL).
Stan Kroenke was due to be vice-chairman of the breakaway competition, which proved deeply unpopular with fans and onlookers up and down the country.
Arsenal were forced to U-turn on their involvement – along with their fellow Premier League ‘Big Six’ clubs – and Josh Kroenke attended a meeting to address fans’ concerns on Thursday.
(Image: David Price)
During the forum, the 40-year-old attempted to explain why Arsenal signed up as one of 12 ESL ‘Founding Clubs’.
He said: “We asked ourselves, what is worse: ESL, or ESL without Arsenal?
“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.”
(Image: Robert Cianflone)
Were Josh Kroenke’s remarks misinterpreted by Martin Tyler, or were they entirely misguided? Have your say in the comments.
These remarks were discussed by the Sky Sports commentary team covering Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat by Everton on Friday night.
And Martin Tyler labelled them “utterly patronising and stupid” in a withering assessment of Josh Kroenke.
Meanwhile, thousands of fans attended a protest against Arsenal’s ownership ahead of the Premier League clash, with banners and chants calling for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to sell up.
But Josh Kroenke insisted the club is not for sale in the fan form, adding: “We have big plans to invest, we have plans, we want to be great again, but a long term model does not support long term high investment. No intention of selling.”
Arsenal have been solely owned by Stan Kroenke since 2018, while the American billionaire first bought a stake in the club in 2007.
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