Arsenal’s legendary kit manager Vic Akers has explained what happened in his now infamous row with former Gunners midfielder Mathieu Flamini after he cut the sleeves off his shirt.
The north London club had a long tradition of the squad always wearing the same shirt-sleeve length as the captain, something that existed before Arsene Wenger arrived at the club and only died out in the later years of his reign after several players complained.
When Arsenal took on Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2013 – a match they lost 1-0 with former player Robin van Persie scoring the only goal – the tradition was still being honoured.
Skipper-for-the-day Thomas Vermaelen had opted for long sleeves, with the rest of the team having to follow suit, but Flamini cut his off and Akers – who also managed Arsenal Ladies to 36 trophies – was furious with the Frenchman.
Speaking on an Instagram Live with US women’s team Murrieta Surf Soccer Club, Akers was asked about the argument and said: ‘I went mad. I went mad, I didn’t realise that he had done it until they went out.
‘Manchester United had a sort of bin, a rubbish bin, just by the back of the door and as the team were leaving and going out I would go out at the end. As I went to go past this bin I saw the sleeve in it.
‘I’m saying to my boy, I went “Paul, get out there and see who’s got a sleeveless shirt on now” and it was him [Flamini]. And of course I went mad.
‘I said to the gaffer, “Gaffer, this is out of order!” I said, “Everybody is in shirts with long sleeves, which is the system that we work by, and he’s gone and cut sleeves off. I’m not having it! It’s crazy!”
‘Anyway, it all went off in the dressing room afterwards and has probably been related as well in some of the articles you may have read. As I say, it was a little bit of a shouting and screaming job after the game.
‘Obviously during the game I can’t do a lot and say a lot. But after the game I could and I said to him, “You’re out of order”.
‘And he went, “I don’t have to” and I said “Yeah you do, this is Arsenal football club, we all go together, not you as an individual going and doing something different, that’s not the way the club works”. Anyway, it all got put right and he got pulled up by the gaffer in that week after the game.’
He continued: ‘You’re either a team or you’re not a team. And that’s exactly how I used to react and players should all have got around me and said, “Yeah you’re right, that’s what we do”.
‘And I remember Bakary Sagna saying at the time in the dressing room after the game, “He’s right, you do what he says and what we’ve already told you to do. He’s told us we’re going to wear them sleeves so we wear those sleeves.” It was not a great moment at Man United for me.’
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