Arsenal fans not happy with Kroenke

‘Silent Stan’ Kroenke may face a hostile reception from some Arsenal fans if he attends the FA Cup final on Saturday as anticipated.   Some supporters want him to step aside after minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov made a £1 billion offer for his 67 per cent stake.

After Kroenke Sports & Entertainment said that it was a ‘committed long-term investor in Arsenal’, the Arsenal Supporters Trust said that the use of the word ‘investor’ showed that Kroenke was only interested in making money.

‘Silent Stan’ Kroenke may face a hostile reception from some Arsenal fans if he attends the FA Cup final on Saturday as anticipated.   Some supporters want him to step aside after minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov made a £1 billion offer for his 67 per cent stake.

After Kroenke Sports & Entertainment said that it was a ‘committed long-term investor in Arsenal’, the Arsenal Supporters Trust said that the use of the word ‘investor’ showed that Kroenke was only interested in making money.

Usmanov, who owns 30 per cent of the club after buying Fahrad Moshri’s 14.6 per cent stake for £75m this year sought to exploit the financial pressure on Arsenal following the failure to qualify for the Champions League with an offer worth £35,000 a share.

Sources close to Kroenke argue that the financial impact of missing out on the Champions League has been exaggerated.   Failure to qualify will save Arsenal £14m in player bonuses and the Europa League can be lucrative with Manchester United likely to make around £36.5m from this year’s competition.