This guy Usmanov is some unifying oligarch. He’s got Iain Dale writing in support of Tim and Craig Murray. All we need now is that idiot James Graham and Prague Tory (who we should congratulate on his recent wedding) to join in and we’ve got the biggest show of holding hands since the last night of the proms.
UPDATE: I’ve had a fair number of Arsenal fans email me this morning. I’m going to talk to colleagues in Westminster about Mr Usmanov’s bid for Aresenal. I’d be interested to know your views in the comments section of this post.
UPDATE 2: The Schillings site shows a case study on how they deal with “Interntet attackers”. Crikey.
UPDATE 3; I’ve had phone calls from journalists on three national newspapers already. The basic story is this: Rich businessman hires big firm of media lawyers to close down the site of a former ambassador. The hosting company capitulates immediately but closes down the sites of many other bloggers not associated with the story. Unfortunately for the hotshot lawyers, one of them happens to be a democratically elected Member of Parliament with regular columns in a number of national newspapers. Oh, and he wants to be mayor of London. Who would you put your money on to win the battle of hearts and minds?
UPDATE 4: Bloggers react at – The Waendal Journal, Arseblog, Arsenal football news, The perfect pitch,Marginalised action dinosaur,modernity blog, rebellion sucks, Our Kingdom, Beau bo D’or , cynical chatter from the underworld, mediawatch, Anorak news, Soccerlens, chicken yoghurt, Sunny, Dizzy, Mr Eugenides, Tyger, Chris P, ten percent, Caroline Hunt, Graacchi, roll a monkey, Forever Expat, jailhouse lawyer, the wardman wire,blood and treasure,zero point nine, The Stirrer,slothblog,devil’s kitchen (also see the very amusing analysis on the lib dems ),norfolk blogger, ordovicius,in the cafe,channel 4,the cartoonist,tim worstall, kevin maguire,
115 comments ↓
Thanks for the kind words.
“Your days of being anonymous are over. I think it was about 22 Labour bloggers so far have said that if I OK it they will sign up to an ‘Out PT’ blog day, complete with press releases. Sounds like fun, but it ain’t my idea. But as you say, these things have a life of their own.” an email from Cllr Bob Piper.
“There are some real far right-gangs in your area, I know some who work out of Ljubliana and Sofia/Varna way. We are going to track you down (and your evil blog and hack you to pieces with our pocket knives. Got it?” A sidekick of Tim Ireland posted this on my blog. Tim wasn’t intereste when the issue was raised.
“Still, while you’re busy patting yourself on the back, be careful or you might just break your arm.” Clive Summerfield posts on my blog.
It’s a pity about Craig Murray, but I’m not posting any more so I’m sure he’ll struggle on without my support.
[...] Interestingly, there was all kinds of stuff going on last night. Craig Murray, the former ambassodor to Uzbekistan, emailed me to tell me his webhost had taken down his site after legal threats from Usmanov’s lawyers. Another very popular blog, Bloggerheads.com, was also taken down. However, what the webhost seemed to do was take down the entire server which also knocked off a lot of other sites which have nothing to do with Usmanov. One of those sites is that of MP Boris Johnson. The situation has also come to the attention of another MPs who has been blogging about it – Tom Watson MP. There has been widespread condemnation of this action across the very many blogs that have picked up the story. Basically a lot of people are upset because websites have been taken down because of Alisher Usmanov and to me this reflects badly on Arsenal. Usmanov now owns 21% of our football club. I’d like to make it very clear to those people whose websites have been affected by this that Alisher Usmanov is not representative of Arsenal FC. Not the Arsenal FC I know anyway. [...]
If Usmanov isn’t guilty of the alleged human rights abuses he has been accused of committing in Russia it seems he’s making a fairly strong attack on freedom of speech in the UK. I would advise those bloggers who have had their sites taken down to sign up to a webserver that supports the notion of free speech.
It would be great to see some mainstream journalism/research on this subject.
It seems as though the threat of Usmanov is keeping this story online and within the confines of blog media.
Come on journo’s, seekers of truth and justice, let’s understand what this guy is all about.
Tom,
I am heartened by you saying you will speak to your colleagues about Mr. Usmanov’s bid for Arsenal. This is not a man any fans want associated with the club, yet he already owns 21%. Clearly a man going to this much trouble to silence people has a lot to hide.
Thanks.
Pretty well everyone’s in favour of freedom of speech until they’re the ones being defamed or libelled. I’ve no idea of the rights or wrongs or who said what in this case but there are precedents, eg complete editions of newspapers being pulped. Then all the journalists suffered; not just the one who caused the offence.
But for arch-Tory Iain Dale to complain about the rich and powerful having easier access than the rest of us do to the law (or to the threat of the law) is like a vicar complaining about one of the ten commandments…
It is very troubling when someone who is not even a citizen of this country appears able to attack an integral right of its citizens seemingly with impunity. If only some of those webhosts that caved in showed as much commitment as yourself to doing something about this.
I am not sure what you can do about Usmanov, but please, please take any action you can to get him out Arsenal and preferably out of the United Kingdom. Surely the word of one of our own Ambassadors counts for something?
Also James Graham isn’t an idiot.
That Usmanov would alienate Arsenal fans by assaulting the blogs and sites that give them their voice goes to show how little regard he has for the club itself. Beyond that, I agree with the poster above who said that Usmanov is “making a fairly strong attack on freedom of speech in the UK” — indeed, if he truly is an innocent man, why does he not go after those who are making the allegations, rather than only the means by which they make them?
It seems like Usmanov is trying to sweep his history under the rug, rather than provide any evidence whatsoever that he is an honest man.
As is stated by Keith Edelman, MD of Arsenal, upon his Q&A session upon the official Arsenal website today, the FA have rules that may impact upon the Uzbek’s intention to grapple control of Arsenal. Interestingly, Mr. Edelman points out that the required percentage of shares needed for takeover would increase should the buyer be deemed as a person who is ” not fit or proper ” to assume the role.
This man is not wanted by Arsenal fans, and represents a real danger to the stability and traditions of this great club.
Michel Platini has recently written to all Heads of state, requesting assistance in winning back the games for the fans, and reigning in the monster that has been born from big finance.
I think this is a losing battle, and since the advent of Sky and TV rights things will never be the same again, not that it should either, as I feel that the game has improved dramatically since SKY became involved.
However, there is a happy medium between retaining the core values of a club while running it as a self sufficient business, and making it a franchise to purely make money for the potential owner.
For many of us in this country watching our football is one of the only joys we have. Our society is rapidly becoming less community orientated and being with other fans watching our team is a rare moment of solidarity.
While we have put up with rising prices and fewer and fewer local boys in the team’s ranks(indeed if any Englishmen,) we were at least safe in the knowledge that this is the same Arsenal of days gone by, albeit a diferent face, but with the same heart. This man does not have the interests of OUR CLUB at heart, and is not welcome here. We do not want his money and are not willing to sell, it requires a concerted campaign to make this clear both inside and outside of the ground.
Unfortunately I do not think that the FA will show the required backbone for the fight, and that it will be left to the fans to try and do the right thing.
I’m proud of Arsenal, the traditions of doing things the Arsenal way and having a club respected around the world. With this man in control the Arsenal way would be dead and buried.
Thanks for the support, Tom.
(PS – That’s a nice example of Rovian projection from Praguetory you have there. I may borrow it sometime in the future.)
[...] [Update] Tom Watson is asking questions in Westminster. Good. [...]
Must say, really pleased with the response from the Brit political blogosphere, very pleased indeed.
Good on you. Why is the government even allowing people like these Russian oligarchs into the country? Usmanov seems to be a gangster. My family’s supported Arsenal since they were in Woolwich. A takeover by someone like this is the last thing we need.
Is their not some obligation – moral at least, if not legal, for the FA/Premiership to have some role in vetting potential owners of UK football clubs?
Sure we live in a free-market, where clubs have become yet another commodity to be traded, but they are such high-profile, historic institutions that ownership in the hands of people with such tarnished reputations is against everyone’s long-term best interests – including the FA/Premiership.
If a potential owner passes scrutiny then it’s just economics at play and no matter how much we may be opposed to it, we can’t really argue. If someone has money to buy and someone else is selling, then that’s the way of the world.
Just as long as the money isn’t tainted.
The opposition to Usmanov is widespread, but the organization to stop him is, well, disorganized. The Arsenal board members are saying all the right things, but a few fail-safes would be nice: a statement from the FA declaring that he would not be fit to take over the club, for example – that’d be great, and not at all premature, to my way of thinking.
I can’t understand why the press has so little to say on this story.
This man is simply disgusting, and the fact he already owns 21% of my football club is disturbing.
However, I find his ability (a foreigner) to decide upon freedom of speech issues more disturbing. I have long felt this country has lost its bottle – over Iraq, over governments getting away with lies, over the lack of equality in many areas such as health, opportunity and education, and now men with questionable histories are dictating who says what in our free country.
Mind you, having said that, I am shocked that I am shocked. Remember the coach of peaceful protesters boarded by the police and detained on their way to protest at a US Air Force base not long ago? I didn’t think I was that naive….
The FA will do sweet FA over this, so it needs someone to stand up and be counted. It could be you….
I think Keith Edelman’s comments on the FA’s rules relating to “not fit or proper persons” are intended as a reminder to the FA that they have responsibilities here. I wonder if the FA made any attempt to apply those responsibilities to Thaksin Shinawatra’s purchase of Manchester City. Personally I have no faith in the FA (or any other governing body in football) taking a responsible and affective role over Usmanov.
Regarding Usmanov’s disregard for the concepts of free speech and open debate, (which are the cornerstone of our society, the same society which created the beautiful game of football): How long before he instructs Schillings to close-down all the fanzines?
All Arsenal fans I know are uncomfortable with the idea of having a 21% owner who is shutting down web sites that say things he doesn’t like.
Thanks for taking this up, Tom
As the limits on ‘free speech’ of defamation and slander do not exist in other countries (U.S. for example) why can’t these websites be ‘hosted’ there?
Also, although the threat of legal action from someone with pockets as deep as those of a Russian energy thief would shake the confidence of most institutions, hasn’t the McLibel ruling showed that people are entitled to legal aid in their defense? Does that not apply to businesses?
Personally, I worry that Premier League clubs have morphed into laundrettes for ill-gotten gains from out there where dragons be. Doesn’t Customs & Excise, the FSA or the Inland Revenue somehow vet the legitimacy of foreign investment? Does the money need to actually be soaked in blood to be considered illegit?
thanks for taking up this issue. In an open market we cannot effectively control who buys shares, or takes ownership of companies – however, we can make some noise. If he thinks Stalinist hegemony is going to win us over, then he is naive, and has underestimated his opposition.
How can we welcome someone who is opposed to freedom of speech? – let him stand in court to defend his reputation and disprove the accusations.
He is making this thing bigger than it is – all we know about him suggests that he is not the sort of person we want associated with Arsenal, the UK, or anyone who thinks a single voice has a right to be heard and taken seriously.
Maybe this pressure will send him scurrying back to his dacha and leave ownership of our club in the hands of people who have been succesful.
Your support is great and may it continue
Firstly thanks Tom for raising this in Westminster, it is a terribly depressing state of affairs that something football related has become so politicised and it shows the far reaching tentacles this Usmanov character has.
I hold no hope that the FA would do their duty and investigate this man properly, just as it seems the media are all deafeningly silent on the true nature of this man. I hope through the efforts of fellow Arsenal fans we can kick off a movement to have this man scrutinized.
Well done for speaking up on this Tom. It’s shameful that this man could soon be running our club. If Murray’s accusations are untrue, they should be challenged in the courts. That’s why we have libel laws. Usmanov and Dein are not welcome at Arsenal.
Usmanov’s actions prove he is not a “fit and proper person” to own Arsenal or any football club that should have sanctions to stop people like him taking over. If he was to make a direct link with Arsenal – and football – fans to discuss his past we may have been able to accept him but his hostile treatment of those discussing it prove he is as good as guilty. Add that to the fact that Arsenal are in a good financial state and don’t need to gain the debt the likes of Manchester Utd are now in, his takeover is most unwelcome.
Football is a British institution (enough so that the Scotish PM is trying to get the 2018 World Cup happen in England) and for these takeovers to discard history, total up hundreds of millions of debt and allow in characters like Usmanov and Shinawatra can mean nothing but problems for what millions love and cherish. How far away are we from a Leeds style crash of another club or these sahdy businessmen to end up match fixing like in Italy?
[...] Boris Johnson, Bob Piper and Clive Summerfield have lost their sites for the simple reason that they were hosted on the the same server as Craig’s and Tim’s sites and went the same way when the plug was pulled. They are NOT associated with the dispute with Alisher Usmanov in any way. How crude! Further Update Tom Watson is now hoping Bob’s plight will unite local bloggers from across the political spectrum: This guy Usmanov is some unifying oligarch. He’s got Iain Dale writing in support of Tim and Craig Murray. All we need now is that idiot James Graham and Prague Tory (who we should congratulate on his recent wedding) to join in and we’ve got the biggest show of holding hands since the last night of the proms. (James – I have no opinion or your idiocy or otherwise!) Tom (himself an MP) adds that he thinks the decision of the web host company was a little hasty – given the profile of the people they’ve cut off Unfortunately for the hotshot lawyers, one of them happens to be a democratically elected Member of Parliament with regular columns in a number of national newspapers. Oh, and he wants to be mayor of London. Who would you put your money on to win the battle of hearts and minds? More on: Hamster, Blairwatch, Mike P, David T, Iain D, TC, David S, 10%, Suesam, Tim W, Dizzy, Jailhouse, Cartoonist, Falco, Monitor, Expat, Arseblog, Tom, Wonko’s World, Roll a monkey, Caroline H, Gracchii, Chris K, Anorak, Mediawatchwatch, Nich S, Chris P, Indymedia, Obsolete, Tom W, Mr Eugenides, Morningstar, ourKingdom, Leon G, Tygerland…. [...]
Thanks again for the support Tom, this guy Usmanov is not the type of person we want associated with Arsenal Football Club and im sure I speak for a significant proportion of fans when I say we will do all we can (which I fear wont be enough, no matter what we do) to stop his involvement.
Tom
I have no idea whether this man is saint or sinner. I do know that the way they are looking to take over my club has all the hallmarks of a hyena attacking a wounded animal.
A man should be allowed to protect his reputation. Nevertheless there would appear to be more than enough evidence to suggest that before he takes over Arsenal football club he should be subjected to an appropriate test for his fitness unders the rules of the FA. Anybody who wishes to challenge free speech in this way requires a very long hard look. Its very interesting that he will not sue Craig Murray for his supposed libellious comments but uses threats on the service providers most of whom are ill equipped to fight any kind of legal battle with this man.
As an arsenal fan of many years I am very concerned about whats inside the usmanov tin. Hopefully it will prove to be caviar but at the very least I think that this should be investigated a bit more thoroughly than it is at the moment.
Hi Tom,
We appreciate your interest first and foremost. As has been seen recently with the Chelsea F.C. situation there people are bad for football, at least Roman Abramovich seems to have some love of the game, this Usmanov character is in it for money. We at Arsenal do not want or need his sort and yet he is forcing himself upon us. The man is a vile excuse for a human being whose attempts to censore the internet have only brought more attention to his heinous crimes. Anything you could do to prevent this or draw attention to this ‘man’ would be GREATLY appreciated.
Yours Gratefully,
Jim
Being Arsenal isn’t just about winning on the pitch, it’s the whole ethos that the club has maintained throughout the years – and in the face of potential takeovers and the influx of money that has watered down or eradicated the ’spirit’ of other English clubs, our board have shown themselves to be more than worthy to the title ‘Custodians of Arsenal’, not selling out and still behaving with dignity.
I am proud to be Arsenal for far more than our success on the field – the desire to behave with a degree of honour and dignity, to do the right thing is more important to me than our cabinet being full of trophies tainted with bad money. I’d sooner win nothing than lose our character.
If he takes over – WE WILL CEASE TO BE ARSENAL – It’s as simple as that.
I don’t believe for a second that Usmanov gives a damn about the ethos of our club, about behaving honourably or with dignity. With him in charge, we can kiss goodbye to the club we know and love and look forward to becoming characterless, empty and nothing more than another asset (like many other clubs have/are becoming) in a hard-nosed businessmans portfolio.
The Arsenal ethos emanates down from the top of the club (the board), through our manager and players, and I think right down to the fans. I think it is about time we, as fans, stood by the Arsenal way and start defending our club from this SERIOUS threat – we need to publicly back the board that have safeguarded Arsenal as best they can before we lose our club altogether.
http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=6762&start=1
Here are just a few of the views from Arsenal fans:
“…….It’s too easy to say it doesn’t matter where the money comes from but there are some aspects of the clubs heritage, social responsibility, moral and traditional background that do go a bit beyond money……”
“………I will love this club wether we are winning and challenging or not. To me I am proud of the way our board has set this club up to prosper for a long long time….”
“……..If the Board realises that a lot of fans are behind them, it might re-assure them even more. They have deserved that, for the work they have done so far……”
“……..the biggest problem is the media, we all read and watch and they debate it without any real hard evidence. you have to look more closely at the russian situation and economy and then also the person involved and really we don’t know much about him………”
“…..Arsenal, all throughout my life, has been more than just a football club, it has always been an institution, ‘The Bank Of England Club’, ‘The Arsenal’. This is what makes me so proud to support Arsenal – they have a certain behaviour and dignity about them which makes you proud…..”
“……..I am proud of my club, and if we were sold to the highest bidder and placed in the hands of people of a seriously questionable reputation, my pride would be tainted forever…..”
“……..I would rather see my beloved Arsenal relegated into the conference than being run by people with no morals….”
“……..I won’t have our club ruined by these criminals and mercenaries, if that did happen I’m afraid I’d…walk away from the Arsenal…..”
“………I for one don’t want my club to turn into a fat bloated carcass where there was once a football club (a la Real Madrid and the Moscow State Circus), I like my club just the way it is thank you very much, and we do not need this unwarranted and unnecessary intrusion from a man whom i have seen nor heard nothing of his great and untarnished intentions towards my club, the club i love, and the club i codl not love if it were to fall into the hands of someone who coudl turn out to have a very chequered history….”.
As an Arsenal fan, it burns me up that this man is even remotely associated with my club, let alone a 21% shareholder who seems bent on an eventual takeover! It’s a nightmare, and most Arsenal fans feel the same way.
Hopefully the awareness that he’s inadvertantly generating through this ridiculous action will raise awareness about what reprehensible man he (allegedly) is. The sooner we see the end of this guy, the better.
Tom,
As an Arsenal fan and father of another Arsenal fan who I try to teach to value and respect the democracy we live in, it is hard to explain to him why and how somebody with the apparent background of this person can be allowed to not only try to take over his beloved club for his own ends, but also attempt to gag anybody who cares enough to bring that past to a more general audience.
Obviously this person has something he does not wish to reach that wider audience. More shame on the people who have given him the opportunity. I for one do not want to see a decent institution (or any other) like Arsenal tainted with this money.
please please do something about this guy, he is tarnishing the image of a club that the duke of edinburgh visited recently.
do the royals want to be associated with this usmanov. its disgusting that he is able to take down websites that tell the truth.
this can only be a sign of what he will be like if he gets into OUR club
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
USMANOV OUT!!!!!
This is the worst thing that could happen to our club.
Thanks for your support Tom – let us know the opinion of your colleagues.
I echo the comments of my fellow Arsenal fans. I do not want anyone with such a dubious history to be involved in our club.
The broader issue of the attack on bloggers is extremely worrying. In the past, we have seen criticism in our press levelled at the Chinese government for its tight control on internet access. We need to make sure our own internet freedoms are not eroded by the actions of wealthy individuals.
Arsenal are more than just a football club, they are an institution, with a long and proud history of doing things the right way. They, along with many other football clubs are part of the history and culture of this country. Usmanov obviously has a great deal to hide, he must be investigated before he is allowed to soil the history of this great club. The government should insist that the FA do their duty.
Dear Sir,
I was sent to this website from arseblogger.com. I am an Arsenal fan in New York and I am overwhelmed by helplessness with this situation. I have been a regular visitor to the UK for many years, I have many friends there, lived there briefly. I have been a loyal supporter of Arsenal for 16 years. My visits to England to watch Arsenal games in person in England are some of my fondest memories of my life. I worked hard to save for trips to England just to see those games. I am appalled that a person like Mr. Usmanov now owns so much of my beloved club and that his lawyers are now responsible for mass censorship of so many blogs.
Unfortunately, there is very little I can do way over here, except refuse to spend any money that will go to the club and write letters, sign petitions. I don’t know what you can do but surely there is a limit to what type of person the British government will allow to invest in a British cultural institution that has been so much a part of your country’s social landscape for so long.
The English FA must do something. The British government must do something. I know I am joined by so many Arsenal fans here in the US who are as upset by all this as I am. On their behalf, please please do what you can to stop this man from taking over one of the last remaining great English-owned football clubs.
Being Arsenal isn’t just about winning on the pitch, it’s the whole ethos that the club has maintained throughout the years – and in the face of potential takeovers and the influx of money that has watered down or eradicated the ’spirit’ of other English clubs, our board have shown themselves to be more than worthy to the title ‘Custodians of Arsenal’, not selling out and still behaving with dignity.
I am proud to be Arsenal for far more than our success on the field – the desire to behave with a degree of honour and dignity, to do the right thing is more important to me than our cabinet being full of trophies tainted with bad money. I’d sooner win nothing than lose our character.
If he takes over – WE WILL CEASE TO BE ARSENAL – It’s as simple as that.
I don’t believe for a second that Usmanov gives a damn about the ethos of our club, about behaving honourably or with dignity. With him in charge, we can kiss goodbye to the club we know and love and look forward to becoming characterless, empty and nothing more than another asset (like many other clubs have/are becoming) in a hard-nosed businessmans portfolio.
The Arsenal ethos emanates down from the top of the club (the board), through our manager and players, and I think right down to the fans. I think it is about time we, as fans, stood by the Arsenal way and start defending our club from this SERIOUS threat – we need to publicly back the board that have safeguarded Arsenal as best they can before we lose our club altogether.
Here are some views from Arsenal fans that I’ve read in the past couple of days….
“…….It’s too easy to say it doesn’t matter where the money comes from but there are some aspects of the clubs heritage, social responsibility, moral and traditional background that do go a bit beyond money……”
“………I will love this club wether we are winning and challenging or not. To me I am proud of the way our board has set this club up to prosper for a long long time….”
“……..If the Board realises that a lot of fans are behind them, it might re-assure them even more. They have deserved that, for the work they have done so far……”
“……..the biggest problem is the media, we all read and watch and they debate it without any real hard evidence. you have to look more closely at the russian situation and economy and then also the person involved and really we don’t know much about him………”
“…..Arsenal, all throughout my life, has been more than just a football club, it has always been an institution, ‘The Bank Of England Club’, ‘The Arsenal’. This is what makes me so proud to support Arsenal – they have a certain behaviour and dignity about them which makes you proud…..”
“……..I am proud of my club, and if we were sold to the highest bidder and placed in the hands of people of a seriously questionable reputation, my pride would be tainted forever…..”
“……..I would rather see my beloved Arsenal relegated into the conference than being run by people with no morals….”
“……..I won’t have our club ruined by these criminals and mercenaries, if that did happen I’m afraid I’d…walk away from the Arsenal…..”
“………I for one don’t want my club to turn into a fat bloated carcass where there was once a football club (a la Real Madrid and the Moscow State Circus), I like my club just the way it is thank you very much, and we do not need this unwarranted and unnecessary intrusion from a man whom i have seen nor heard nothing of his great and untarnished intentions towards my club, the club i love, and the club i codl not love if it were to fall into the hands of someone who coudl turn out to have a very chequered history….”.
if he strikes us down, we will become stronger than he can possibly imagine
This is bigger than “PussyGate”
Tom – how about using Schillings-proof Parliamentary privilege to give some of the more unsavoury aspects of Mr Usmanov’s career an airing?
Tom,
Once again, thanks for taking up this issue, which is so very dear to the hearts of Arsenal fans acroos the globe, not just the UK. Arsenal is an institution, and one that brings joy to so many people all around the world – an institution that I am sure all Arsenal fans are proud of for our proud history, the way the club has conducted itself in the past, and the way it continues to do so. In a roper and honourable way.
For a man with such a huge question mark hanging over his head to be trying to buy the club out from under us and the board, is, quite frankly, horrifying. We neither need his money, nor want it. The Arsenal have survived and prospered without the need for such funds thus far, and we are not about to need to call upon such dubious monies now.
So much remains unknown about Usmanov, and he seems very unwilling to let his past be discussed on the internet or in the British press, with his pre-emptive strikes aimed at the media ensuring they toe the line when writing about him and his activities; and his lawyers forcing webhosters to remove blogs that have the audacity to bring his past activities out into the open.
Quite frankly it unnerves me greatly and i have no desire whatsoever to see this individual assume control of my beloved club – he has already secured a stake that is far too large for my liking (though 1% was too much for my liking), and i wish for this man to be discussed in parliament, where a difference can hopefully be made. Any individual that may have behaved in the manner that has been suggested of Usmanov should not be allowed to bring their wholly unsavoury money into the English game, or into the country at all for that matter. It would reflect very unfavourably on Britain as a nation.
The very best of luck in bringing this issue to the fore.
»»Arsene Knows««
[...] So, what we’ve got on our hands is, at best, an agressive speculator, at worst somebody who will make life as difficult as possible for the people who run the club at the moment. The fallout from the website story continues though. Yesterday Channel4 news asked me to appear but as I’m really far too shy to be appearing on TV I had to say no. However, you can see the story on C4 news and MP Tom Watson brought great coverage to the story yesterday. [...]
Tom – you may or may not remember me from years back. I’m an Arsenal fan and think I speak for many in expressing dismay at Usmanov’s actions. He’s taking the pillaging of our national game to it’s pinnacle – he clearly feels no need to engage with the fans, who are the moral owners of the club no matter what share certificates may say, he just wants to make some cash out of us. The FA has a fit and proper person test to determine whether someone should run a football club – so far they’ve been too gutless to ever employ it. Maybe now is the time to shame them into action. Certainly, Arsenal fans are dismayed at the disruption Usmanov is bringing to bear: the current board have done a fine job building a new stadium, organically growing revenue and supporting a fine manager, and their work is being undermined by someone who seems to be a fairly nasty piece of work. Keep up the good work in raising awareness of this issue. I work at the Spectator group now, just around the corner from Westminster – if there’s anything I can do to help let me know…
Tom,
It’s quite simple. Nobody knows what the truth is behind the allegations against Usmanov. But Arsenal fans like me certainly don’t want a guy taking over our club with this kind of attitude towards free speech – in particular attempting to silence Arsenal websites who are run by genuine fans of the club.
With Usmanov now seeking to raise a ‘blocking’ stake in the club, the campaign to stop him needs to get up and running. Anything that could be done from a political angle would be really welcome.
Thanks for your help in raising media coverage of all this.
Will East
As an Arsenal fan of over twenty years and a regular visitor to the Emirates Stadium the fact that Usmanov even owns shares in the club causes me a certain degree of distress. A past that is mysterious and worth him silencing online blogs over should never be associated with Arsenal Football Club, it is a major caused of concern when an oligarch such as Usmanov hinders the freedoms of speech that are held so dearly in this country.
I’m not sure if my conscience would allow me to support the club of my childhood if Usmanov became the owner, the ethos of the club would be forever tainted but I’m sure there are many fans who will fight this bitterly.
Schillings have been quick off the mark defending him, lets have a full disclosure from them on his past criminal record, the manner of its expungement and then let us all decide for ourselves? Until then he should be let nowhere near our great club or David Dein by association.
Really glad you’ve shown an interest in this Tom. I dread this guy taking over the Arsenal.
There’s no way someone like this would be allowed to buy up a big name on the continent. Can you imagine Barcelona or Real Madrid allowing such an unpleasant, anti-fan foreign takeover?
The poster above who said this needs a libel-proof airing in Parliament is absolutely right.
It’s one of the few place this can be discussed frankly without Alisher using his roubles to set lawyers on you. It would create pressure on the FA to blow the cobwebs off their fit and proper person rules.
Please, please give this whole subject an airing in the house. You’ll be able to hear the cheers from the Grove.
Nobody, but nobody, wants this clearly deeply unpleasant character anywhere near the club.
It is quite sad that Usmanov wants to close down websites of bloggers giving their opinion on him. I understand if people are making allegations against him that are not true but this is not the case. In fact most bloggers are opposing a takeover and not Usmanov himself. It doesn’t matter if a takeover was led by Usmanov or someone else, the reaction would still be the same.
Thank you Tom for giving us a place to voice our concerns. I am very happy that someone is taking this up with Parliament. We do not exactly who this Usmanov is…mainly because he does not allow the truth to come out. Where there is smoke there is fire. I do not believe that this person is one that should be allowed to own a British institution such as The Arsenal is.
Sincerest, Søren Frey
Surely, the best bet is to play Mr Usmanov at his own game – should it look like he is really launching a takeover.
Surely, the FA is a public body for the purposes of the law and its actions are thus open to judicial review.
Should the FA fail to undertake the fit and proper person test (or do so properly) then someone should ask for that failure to be looked at by a judge. It seems likely any fan would have sufficient standing to go to court and ask for such a review: it would also not be outrageously expensive to do so.
This way the FA could be forced to act and do so in a way that insures it undertakes its duties properly.
I think Keith Edelman is already thinking in this direction and his comment are an early shot across the bows of the FA.
With regards to the libel issue. It is so sad that non of the lessons of Robert Maxwell have been learnt. His plunder off the pension funds took place behind a screen of lawyers letters scaring journalists off asking too many questions.
I really don’t think that Usmanov has any intention of taking anyone to court and these are the worst kind of scare tactics instead. Luckily they seem to be backfiring and show that lawyers make the worst kind of media managers.
[...] Happily the whole thing appears to have backfired horribly on Usmanov and his team as the stories of heavy-handedness propagate around the internet. Labour MP Tom Watson has been raising awareness, Channel 4 News ran a piece last night, and the blog Chicken Yoghurt is tallying sites that are pushing the story. [...]
Will East – We do not know the truth in whether he deserved to go to prison or not, but his behaviour in blocking the free speech discussing it instead of coming out publicly to discuss it with worried fans proves him guilty in my books. I am really worried.
Thanks for taking up this issue. I’m a solicitor and an Arsenal fan. I’m not happy at the way legal pressure has been used against the blogs. I hope the present owners stop the takeover.
Never mind Arsenal, perhaps you could have a word with your leader this week over his naive and incorrect response to Platini. Money coming into the game has made the Premiershite the most uncompetitive in its history. Yet Gordon thinks everything is rosy.
I’ve no sympathy for Arsenal, ManUre or other teams who ushered in the greed is good era. This is the natural outcome.
I will Ecko all of the above posts. Please,Please do something about it. We don’t want this guy anywhere near our beloved club.
What a wonderful day at the Emirates yesterday but Usmanov is casting a dark shadow over a wonderful start o the season.I can`t even comprehend what power these people have but my concern is that a club I have supported for 45 years is about to become the plaything of a man who already is showing a contempt fot the loyal fans( another 60100 yesterday).
We don`t want him and we don`t need him. Those of you who have ifluence please help us to protect the history and integrity of this great club.Let`s not rely on the toohless tiger that is the FA.
As a life-long supporter of another club that was bought using dodgy proceeds of the dismemberment of the Soviet Union I can only offer my sympathy and condolences to the Gooners*. I hope that Arsemanov isn’t such a megalomaniac as our “owner” and thereby cause Arsene Wenger to leave his job.
Yet another nail in the coffin of the national game. Let’s hope that football and free speech are bigger than this.
* That’s something I could never have imagined saying before.
Tom,
I am glad a member of parliament is taking interest in this issue. I’m coming from a slightly different perspective so I hope that my comments don’t seem completely irrelevant. Lots of comments here refer to the issue of freedom of speech. I’ve looked into the background of the threats to websites and blogs and apparently a case brought in 1999, Godfrey vs Demon Internet, is being used to put the frighteners on those who are commenting on Alisher Usmanov. An analysis of this by Cyber-Rights at http://www.cyber-rights.org/reports/demon.htm indicates that because of the way the Defamation Act 1996 is framed it is almost enough for lawyers to contact an ISP and allege something is defamatory for them to be obliged to remove it. This means that discussion of any controversy on the internet, at least if it is hosted in the UK, can be closed down. Since you are an MP I assume this is something you are in a good position to do something about! NB I am not sure whether there have been any legal developments since the article cited was published.
I would also add that it seems highly significant that Usmanov’s lawyers have gone after ISPs – why aren’t they going after the person who made the allegations in the first place rather than the ones who merely publish them? He’s not exactly hiding his identity, indeed I understand he has contacted the lawyers concerned and told them where to send any writ.
Well done Tom for all your hard work on this. I read today that Abramovich is going to be helping Avram Grant pick the team and be more hands-on at Chelski, with neither of them holding the required FA coaching badge!
This is why, if we dont want to see this crook Usmanov taking to the training pitch at London Colney, we must do all we can to keep this man away from our historic football club. The future is the Emirates and our young team, not Usmanov and a team of stars bought with his dirty money.
Someone must be able to stop this from happening! The FA’s ‘fit and proper’ rule is pointless if it allows belligerent takeovers by people who of extremely dubious background and no thought for the culture and fans of a club. Simply because an individual has not been convicted for a crime, or has had a conviction quashed, should not mean an investigation stops there. People of wealth and power often escape justice for their crimes in countries where the institutions of justice are weak. As has been pointed out by some newspapers, under the FA’s rules Pol Pot or Idi Amin would be free to take the helm at Arsenal or Chelsea, were they both not dead. The most rudimentary enquiry would find much to warrant serious objections to this individual being allowed gain control of such an important part of British life. Why can’t such an enquiry be undertaken?
The FA says “we are not the Government” and the Government says “this is a matter for the FA”, but someone has to show enough courage and leadership to stop this hugely important chunk of British society falling into the hands of an individual who doesn’t appears to be fit or proper to run a village team let alone one of the most inspiring and important clubs in the world. Arsenal is an amazing success story, a new stadium built on time and on budget (unlike Wembley) has catapulted them into the top earning clubs in the game. Their board is built on stability and has performed marvels in building up the club’s structure. Most of all, the manager has been given freedom to produce some of the best football this country has ever seen – they are generally reckoned to be the most pleasing team to watch by fans of all teams. Whatever the nationalities of the players and the manager, they are a great British success story. They literally give pleasure to millions, and all this is threatened.
This is not just about football and the culture of football, important though that is. It is also about the dangers of allowing powerful positions in society to be taken over by people who have little repect for notions of tradition or corporate responsibility (to say the least) and for whom business and lets not forget, political practice contains few moral restraints. In short, this can only mean trouble if no-one is strong enough to act on it now.
1. We don’t want him.
2. We don’t need him.
3. He looks like Jabba the Hutt.
We’ve got the best manager on the planet, and we’re the second richest club in the world, and, how could I forget, we have Fabregas and another load of fantastic players.
So we don’t need a sugardaddy.
Please do something…save the club from falling into the hands of Usmanov!
Hi, you have my full support in this cause. I can only repeat what others have said before me. Please do all you can to stop Arsenal from beeing the next in line for purchase. The last thing we need is more clubs becomming playthings for bored Oligarchs and other billionaires.
shoo shoo from my dear Arsenal go away and do your buisness in other clubs not OUR Club!!
We, the Arsenal supports of the club, do not want Usmanov to buy any more shares.
We do not want foriegn investment. The club has just released its financial figures, and we have been named the richest club in the UK. For the good of the club do not sell him anymore shares. The Hill Woods have done a fantastic job at Arsenal.
Wat happens if he makes a hostile takeover this could lead us down the same road as chelsea. I for one will be distraught if this effects Mr Wenger and the fantastic team we have at the moment.
Arsenal Must Have English Roots NOT RUSSIAN OR ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE!!!
People have said for many years “Money is ruining the game”. Now Arsenal, who I love because they still represent a philosophy that trophies can be won rather than bought, are in danger of being snapped up a BIG INVESTOR. At SOME point action must be taken. Please take it now, before a club that still aspires to traditional sporting values (and which has sought to stand back from the approach of the big money-backed clubs) is cynically snapped up by a man with a hostile and dismissive approach, who shows no concern for sporting values, heritage, or anything that has any meaning outside of financial transactions. Football clubs, like anything that is part of our cultural heritage, should not be entirely vulnerable to the machinations of short-term market economics. I’m not a Man Utd fan, but I felt sorry for them when then Glazer’s came knocking. And what Arsenal have not appears even more sinister. Please help!
I am 100% opposed to the takeover. I feel that Arsenal should remain a ‘British’ club and not have its shareholders sell out for profit as other clubs have done. We as a club are still able to compete without the needs of a takeover. Fellow gooners say ‘No’ to the takeover!!!!
We don’t need this man, we want Arsenal to be ours, we don’t buy success we are a real team. Chelsea may have success but it can’t feel as good as us now, we stuck through this team thick and thin, without some billianare and now who’s laughing. We the fans do not want this man to buy any other shares.
It seems suspicious that a man who claims to be have such a clean conscience, is only to willing to censor information concerning himself at all costs. Whether he has committed the atrocities that are claimed or not, his actions show a blatant disregard for the ideals that we as a free society hold dear and sadly most of the time take for granted. We shouldn’t thus walk on by, and ignore his ominous potential entry into one of the world’s finest football clubs. We should act now, before the it’s too late.
I believe as an Arsenal fan that is takeover is not only bad for Arsenal, but for all of English football. Dont let it happen, Please.
I am pleased to hear that you intend to take up matter of the suppressive actions of Alisher Usmanov with your parliamentary colleagues. While many Arsenal supporters like myself will focus on the threat to the stability of Arsenal Football Club I can imagine that this isn’t a primary interest of your colleagues at Westminster.
There are at least two aspects, which should however concern them greatly in regards to Alisher Usmanov. The first is the accusations of criminality levied against him by Craig Murray a former government official. I understand these were first made as far back as 2004 but seem to have gained wider circulation since Usmanov’s high profile move into Arsenal. The accusations of criminality had been circulating on the internet for sometime and it is only since the Arsenal share acquisition that Usmanovs lawyers have sought to stifle these claims though not to the extent of taking Craig Murray to court for libel. Has the failure of the government to act on these accusations, or at least allow them to be examined diligently, possibly for reasons of political expediency, encouraged an alleged criminal to believe his political links can allow him to act with the same freedom of political favour in the UK that he apparently enjoys in Uzbekistan? It seems that the government has refused entry to the UK for people deemed political undesirable for far lesser crimes than this man has been accused of. How is it he has been able to escape the public examination that a former British Ambassadors very specific accusations would seem to warrant? In ignoring these is the British Government itself about to become complicit in allowing the possibility of a major British institution to fall into the hands of a man whose background hasn’t been subjected to the same level of scrutiny that a UK national would expect to encounter?
The second is the application of the Football Associations ‘fit and proper persons rule’. The inability to subject the record of overseas investors to the same scrutiny that UK citizens would routinely endure handicaps the football authorities ability to adequately apply this rule to an increasing number of overseas ‘investors’, with questionable political backgrounds, attracted to UK football. In doing so a significant part of the UK football industry risks being controlled by people, some with links to overseas gambling groups, that don’t meet the ethical standards such a high profile industry with many young impressionable followers should demand. In terms of moral guidance to young ambitious businessmen of the future this has to be an unsatisfactory message to be giving them.
Good luck with your pursuit of these issues.
Hi Tom,
Being an Arsenal fan from India, I would like to thank you for your interest on this topic. And alongwith the rest of Arsenal’s supporters I dont want some one to take over Arsenal, definitely not someone with a history like Usmanov.
That aside, the bullying tactics used by Usmanov’s lawyers forcing the webhosts to shut down those websites . On the other hand , on reading through some of the above comments,I find it amusing that a country where has been opposition to outsourcing may have to outsource webhosting to some other country because it cannot protect it’s citizens right to freedom of speech. That aside its good to see that Usmanov’s actions have mobilized a lot of people against him. And once again, thanks for your interest.
leave our beloved Arsenal alone
We loyal gooners appreciate your work, Tom. As you may already know by now, Arsenal revealed their financial status this morning, We are Richest in UK, 2nd in World.no surprise there we are solid as ever and surplus cash for legendary Arsene to splash the cash (not that he’ll splash it for real) but my point like all others here is why involve this usmanov, who is butting in for quick profits. We are desperate to save our club, to keep it entirely BRITISH.no foreign investment and keep these money-minded freaks at bay.
Please make this Usmanov guy get lost ….tell him to go back to russia with all his money and please leave Arsenal FC alone….he was never good news to the club and will never be ….we REALLY dont need an investor like him who is in it only for the money as we already have have our beloved Board Of Directors who take care of the club very well and we dont need the sudden influx of money as well because as you all know we are the 2nd richest club on the planet so i think i can speak for most gooners worldwide saying the “WE SAY **NO** TO USMANOV”
I actually think he’ll be good for the game….
Whatever it takes to keep Usmanov away from our club will be appreciated. We are the best run club in the world and are doing just great without his investment. I have full faith in the current Arsenal board and of course the boss Wenger.
This guy can not take over we dont need him or want him we are a british club built or british foundations! and i for one would hate to see that change so rally round gooners becasue this could start to get quite bumpy!
I would just like to echo the sentiments of many of the other Arsenal fans who have chosen to speak up about the attempted hostile takeover currently being pursued by Alisher Usmanov. Wether or not this man is actually the criminal that Craig Murray painted him to be on his website, and also in a book he wrote about Uzbekistan, may be debatable but something that is clear from this issue and that of the purchase of Manchester City by disgraced Thai leader Thakshin Shinawatra is that the FA has absoloutley no intentions of enforcing its own ‘fit and proper’ test of ownership.
This is a serious problem as although neither of these two indiviuals have been found guilty of anything, or in the case that they were recieved a pardon, both are alledged to be the worst kind of exploitative oligarch’s, stealing from people who have so little already. Some may argue that both are innocent until proven guilty but proving them guilty is hard enough when both Thakshin and Usmanov are currently evading their problems in their home lands by bringing their money to England and in essence attempting to use Arsenal and Man City as vehicles for laundering their ill-gotten wealth, without them extraditing themselves from any proceedings in their home lands by being allowed to reside in England.
Also by simply allowing them to purchase these institutions of society and community with out in depth investigation from the FA into their past is like bypassing the trial and finding them innocent by default, something that in neither of these individuals circumstances should be the case.
There is also the matter of freedom of speech which Usmanov seems to be such a feirce opponent of from his recent actions, something that seems a stramge approach to take from a man who claims to have been a ‘political prisoner’ of the soviet union who one would then assume himself has issue with censorship from above.
The thing that i personally feel is so significant in this situation is not just that Arsenal and its fans get the outcome they want but more that a line is drawn where the FA and the government state clearly that they will not tolerate embeslers, exploiters of the third world, drug/gun runners or any other type of shady dealer to own an institution that is so vital and important to large parts of society as a football club like Arsenal or Manchester City. When you allow the likes of Usmanov and Thakshin to own football clubs and therefore pass the ‘fit and proper’ test where does it stop? Who is not ‘fit and proper’ to own a football club in England? Will it take Victor Anatolyevich Bout, the notorious gun runner, or Robert Mugabe trying to buy Tottenham or Everton for the FA to take action, or would even they be allowed the right of ownership?
Thank you for your concern Tom.
I do not want anyone taking over my club! it is a perfectly well run club already. football is a multi national business but we need to keep the foundations of our clubs as English. foreign ownership will take away our identity. many foreign owners try to interfer with team selection and transfers aswell as taking money out! we’re fine as we are thankyou very much
i believe that the board have shown us that they have the clubs best interest at heart and ahve also proved that they should b the ones o take the clube to future success, ample evidence can be found in the move to Emirates stadium and the recent figures of profit which have made the gunners the most valuable british club. I think that we can all agree from recent undoings of other clubs that a russian oligarch is not the way to go, in fact i believe that ahving a sole owner in a football club will ultimately lead to long term failures within the club, as that one person cant continue to pump funds into the club to finance bigmoney moves, which often lead to a loss in profits due to the oer pricing of the player and than a lower resell value.
The board have given Arsene a huge budget which he will definately not spend, believe that in any case the board should stay in power and that no one else should sell to Usmanov as his stake int he club is getting dangerously close to a take over percentage.
Usmanov – Keep your dirty hands off my Arsenal
Arsenal fans have said it all — We do NOT want him !!
USMANOV can CLEAR OFF. We the Arsenal Fans Do not want him here.
we are the Arsenal. We have done well, and well enough, and even if we are not doing well, we can pull ourselves through with out the need of the take over of any kind. Financially, we seemed to be stable and even in funds, we don’t have problems.
You want to stick it somewhere, you can have Manchester United. They need you more than we do. Brilliant work Tom. We should say no to Usmanov take over. The whole deal is absurd.
This is what happens in the world of football. Too much dependence on cold hard cash that destroy the warmth passion for the game itself. We don’t want to be the likes of Chelsea, Manchester united or Liverpool who depended too much to strengthen their squad by buying stars. No we’re not them. We don’t buy stars. We make them.
Say no To Usmanov Gooners. We all in this together.
Usmanov away! Arsenal board stay!
Leave arsenal alone
Arsenal is a lot more than winning. It is the ethos that he will estroy. And there is no way he can pass the fit and proper ownership test. Come on, he was charged with rape and was only pardoned due to Islam Karimov, the dictator of Uzbekistan.
First time I heard the news of a post-Soviet oligarch buying shares in Arsenal with the intention to take it over, I thought that it was a travesty, especialy since the club seems to be doing so well. I considered it to be another example of the nemesis of contemporary high level football – rich egoists treating clubs as toys. I was appaled when Abramovich took Chelsea over, and that is just one of the many English clubs in the hands of leisurely millionares. Man City is another tragic example, especially when the history of its owner is tarnished to say the least. But Arsenal is, as I have stated previously, doing great. A club pulling in some 200 million euros a year needs to keep the people who took it to the top in the first place, not a sugar daddy. Usmanov is the worst thing that can happen to Arsenal right now.
I was pretty much convinced of that before, but now I am 100% certain. What kind of a football club owner limits the basic right of its fans, the right of free speech? What would happen if the fans chanted negative comments on Usmanov during a match if he owned the club? Would he empty the stadium? Have every member of the audience arrested and charged with “slander”? How can the FA let such a man even consider owning a club in England is beyond me. There are rules that can prevent this criminal from buying our club, the FA only need to evoke them. I also urge the board members to persist in rejecting any and every offer made by Usmanov, or anyone else for that matter, to take complete control over Arsenal. They have my full confidence and support.
I am grateful for this opportunity to express my opininion in public, and I sincerely hope Usmanov’s lawyers won’t have this server shut down.
blimey Tom a Baggie sticking his neck out for the gooners! nice one haha Where the hell is Kate Hoey in all this? or maybe she didnt really support Arsenal in the first place eh?
Thank you for taking such an interest in this issue Mr Watson, Arsenal FC is a great institution that is being run very well at present. I fear the eventual takeover of foreign business men of our clubs will eventually destabilise the league through managers being sacked left, right and centre for not winnning the league, and could open us up to match fixing scandals like those in Italy a couple of years ago. Arsenal is currently run by it’s supporters, who are doing a fantastic job. Let them keep doing it!
This must not be allowed to happen.Arsenal can not be turned into a toy for some dodgey russian.We seen what happened at chelsea,so when this guy wont get his way as in the picking of the team obviously wenger would be forced out and replaced by some puppet that can be controlled.This is only one of many reasons that we must not allow this.
I think the major issues have already been covered here, this guy simply isn’t fit to be an owner of any business in this country let alone a football club! Everyone that cares for the decency of the game and loves Arseanl football club is against his involvement and i therefore hope the relevant authorities will intervene
This man is not wanted or needed by a club that many here love. Whether he is fit to even be involved with the club is a whole other kettle of fish!
David Dein has proven that he is not a fan of Arsenal FC, but a business man on a power trip. He wants to control the club, not what is best for it. He and Usmanov are not welcome at the finest club in the world.
Please do what you can to stop people like Usmanov from getting anywhere near my beloved Arsenal. It just leaves a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it.
Tom you, along with anyone else speaking out against Usmanov and a proposed takeover, have my whole-hearted support.
Excellent work.
The FA and Premier League say this issue is political, the government say that this is a matter for the footballing authorities – who else do we turn to? ……….Has no-one in this country got the teeth to take responsibility for anything anymore? Arsene Wenger recently stated that English football is losing it’s soul…..WE are allowing this – is BRITAIN, the country that once stood for freedom of speech, justice and fair play, losing IT’S soul…..?
I fully support your efforts to keep out yet another foreign ‘businessman’ from usurping an English football club. Even more so as the Arsenal Board and fans are strongly opposed to this action and the financial situation of the club is healthy.
Please help us to maintain the traditional ethos of Arsenal Football Club.
Don’t let the Premier League lose its soul!
Thanks Tom for your campaign. Since Russian tanks won’t literally be advancing on the Emirates Stadium I can’t physically lie down in front of them, but I would if there were. As it is, I feel powerless to do anything about the prospect of this appalling man taking over, so it’s good to know someone’s doing something. Please help us stop the kind of disaster that’s going on at Chelsea from ruining our great club.
We do not need his money, we are one of the few clubs in the premiership top ten that are still owned by british, we should keep it that way, that russian geeza only wants to make money out of us so i say no to the take over.
We play a unique style of football, all of this with players who were non-high profile before they came to this club. Bargain players with talent only a manager such as Wenger could develop.
We at Arsenal make our own star’s, and we don’t need ridiculus amounts of money to buy any ‘big name players’ to endure any kind of success.
We don’t need dirty foreign money to win titles, let’s believe in our young team to win the silverware THEY and the fans truely deserve.
We don’t need extra investment, and, even if we did, we certainly don’t need anything from a man who is trying as hard as he can to stop anything bad from being said about him. If he loved Arsenal as he says he does, surely he’d let his “fellow” Arsenal supporters speak their mind? From the fact that this obviously isn’t the case shows he clearly would be incapable of running a football club.
And with us top of the league, with massive revenue, huge fanbase and an exceptionally talented young team, we don’t need to sell our soul to the devil for any price. Back off Usmanov!
We definitely don’t need HIS sort. We are doing perfectly fine without him and so him getting his grimy hands on our club would be a big mistake. We take PRIDE in the fact that our Arsenal has not needed or allowed a money swindling foreigner to takeover the club and is able to keep its integrity by continually running the club in an honest and traditional way.
with a squad like are’s…who needs his millions?
“Arsenal, by the people, for the people”,
N O T F O R $ A L E
Arsenal must remain a club for the people, Usmanov taking over would isolate the fans who love the club so much.
Unfortunatly this man looks like he might be too poweful for us, and if we are going to fight it then we’ll need help.
I’m an Arsenal season ticket holder and have been a regular attendee for almost 30 years. I don’t know any Arsenal fan who supports the idea of Usmanov taking over – some don’t care but many more that I know are against it, some (like me) strongly so.
There are various reasons for the opposition: there are real moral concerns about the provenance of Usmanov’s money and his way of operating; there are worries about the club becoming a billionaire’s toy (look at Hearts for an example); there is the possibility of destroying a perfectly good structure that is doing everything the fans want (including potentially driving away Arsene Wenger and many of our players); there is the threat to the club’s long-term financial well-being (debt-loading, asset-stripping, dividend extraction all being possibilities).
At a political level, I would ask that you and your colleagues at Westminster closely scrutinise the situation, since Usmanov is unlikely to fail the FA’s “fit and proper person test”. That test depends on criminal convictions – Usmanov’s conviction by the Soviet authorities was expunged when the USSR broke up and Usmanov became an oligarch, building up his wealth by buying up state-owned assets at very low prices. As has been seen at Manchester City, the “fit and proper person test” has such a limited application that it can’t be relied upon to keep out those who should be kept out of football club ownership.
I would feel less concerned about Usmanov if he brought a defamation action against Craig Murray, as Murray has requested, so that the allegations against Usmanov could be tested in court by reference to evidence. But Usmanov has refused to do this, which in my opinion only underlines the concerns we should have about him.
We need as much help as we can get to resist a takeover nobody at Arsenal wants or needs, and which threatens the future of our club.
[...] Sound familiar? It should do. There’s a growing list of bloggers who are protesting about this. So come on then Tom, Iain, Guido, Tim and others, how about it? [...]
Vital English football is protected from ‘these sorts’ as Hi;;-Wood would call them. We need a fit and proper ‘fit and proper person test’.
Arsenal do not need an investor at all, and most fans is way more happy the way we have it now. We don’t want investors! It’s against what we believe.
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