Arsene Wenger survived 22 years as Arsenal manager and gave countless joy to millions of Gooners all over the world as he led the Gunners to glory, and especially when he led Arsenal to a full season without losing a game.
Wenger was awarded an honorary OBE in 2003 for his contribution to British football but now the Tory MP Huw Merriman has proposed in Parliament that Wenger should now given a knighthood, not just for his career at Arsenal, but also as an example that immigrants can also be very successful in the UK.
Merriman said: “It should be no surprise that we’ve had a manager that’s come in from abroad, who we’ve embraced as one of our own and has taught us, and I would say he’s the best example of successful immigration in this country.
“I would like to hope that it’s thanks to him that immigration is widely proclaimed as doing fantastic things for this country.
“I’m proud that Arsene Wenger and the club that he built was built and washes its own face with the highest matchday revenue in the world and not, as he infamously put it, via financial doping from wealthy individuals based in countries with dubious records on human rights and worse.
“It’s my belief that it’s Arsene Wenger’s commitment to the core values of British sport and society which have caused me to apply for this debate….”
He was also supported by the Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn who has always been an Arsenal and Wenger fan, who told the House: “I’ve never forgotten taking a very large group of primary school children to Arsenal stadium one evening, and Arsene Wenger giving them a very interesting talk about how he learned English, how they should all learn foreign languages in order to create a more generous and more peaceful world.
“He has a wonderful ability to communicate with people of all ages and all footballing abilities.”
Although many of us have campaigned to get Wenger removed from his post at Arsenal, we cannot deny his achievements over his long and successful tenure at our club, so should we all support this motion to give him a knighthood in the next Honours list?
Sam P