Are any of us Arsenal fans really all that surprised to hear that to club’s owner, or major shareholder, has done something that indicates once again that he sees the club as nothing more than a part of his global business empire and the Arsenal fans as cash cows to be milked regularly?
The latest from our mate, silent Stan Kroenke, is that the American billionaire has taken around £3million out of the club as a dividend payment, something that was suggested would never happen. According to the report in The Guardian, the money was paid to one of Kroenke’s companies for so called `strategic and advisory` services. I wonder if this advice included selling your best players and replacing them with cheaper versions.
Maybe the advice was to never ask the owner for any of his own investment, because you would be wasting your time. Following on from the financial figures for last year showing the club had increased it’s cash reserves by over £50 million, it is nice to know we are paying Kroenke £3 million for his advice.
And the worst part of it is that this amount is just about the same as was earned from the 3 percent rise in season ticket prices for this season. NICE. Gooners already pay more than any other fans, while the club continually fails to invest the money into the players that might see us actually get value for our money.
The two amounts may be a coincidence but it is unfortunate. So thanks Stan, I assume this is going to become a regular thing now. The problem is that until we can get him shifted, there is nothing we can do about except refuse to buy the tickets and merchandise, which is looking like a better idea all the time. How do you feel about this Gooners?