Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has attempted to explain the club’s decision to join the European Super League.
The Gunners are one of six Premier League clubs that joined the breakaway competition last year.
However, it collapsed about 48 hours after the announcement by the clubs involved.
Arsenal and other EPL sides came under pressure from their fans and the government, and they backed out of the competition.
However, should they even have agreed to join in such an attempt to destroy UEFA’s monopoly?
Dein doesn’t think so, and he believes they joined the effort because the club’s current owners are driven by the need to make money.
He tells The Daily Mail:
‘I was an Arsenal fan through and through and fortunate to be able to buy shares. Then there is the other type, who have money, buy a club, and then become a supporter. To them, football’s a good investment or good for their profile. So they don’t have a connection.
‘I was a fan on the board. I could never have agreed to a project like the Super League. If I was there when that happened, I’d have resigned. They didn’t read the tea leaves. A closed shop? Nobody has a divine right. Some of these owners think they’re too big for the rest of the league. They’re deluded.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Football is mostly about making money nowadays and it is hard to fault the club owners who partnered to form the ESL.
However, it does not appeal to fans when they make it seem they only own the club because they want to make money.