Tag Archives: Arsenal

Justice for the Archway One – Update about banned charity worker

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In October, we wrote about how an Arsenal fan who does a lot of work for a local charity was unfairly banned from The Emirates and the impact this had on the local charity. The back story is that a fan got in a few verbal’s with another Arsenal fan, 7 hours after a game, 3 miles from the ground. It was an argument not related to football, and just so happened to occur on a day Arsenal were playing. It was a situation that could happen to anyone at anytime.

The fan in question was banned by the club, based on advice by the WPC who headed up the Arsenal police intelligence team. This despite the judge stating during the case that the fan should not be banned as it was clearly not football related. What occurred was clearly exploitation of power, banning a single fan on the basis of a decision by a single officer.

Since our article on the matter, there have been developments in the case. The WPC who ‘advised’ the club on the matter has since is currently  “subject to ongoing disciplinary measures at present and no longer a part of the Arsenal Football Intelligence Unit.” The reason behind the disciplinary measures have not been released, yet this case was not the 1st time that said WPC was controversially involved in the ban of fans, after once saying “The football ban should send a clear message that police will not tolerate disruptive behaviour, before, during or after any matches” after two fans got banned due to a fracas which started due to them standing up.

So with the WPC in question now no longer part of the Arsenal Football Intelligence Unit, the question is, why are the club still upholding the ban, despite it being a ban based solely on her advice. A petition was recently started by friends of the banned for to gain “Justice For The Archway One”. Pin badges are also being sold by the badge sellers throughout pubs and outside of the stadium to raise funds to enable the fans to fight his case against the club.

We at SheWore back this campaign completely. This is Big Brother, This is 1984. This is the club banning someone for an action which just happened to happen on a game day. It could happen to anyone. You could be drinking in Liverpool Street on the day of a game, get in an argument, and get banned, or Regents Park, or Euston, or even on the banks of the River Thames in Temple, all these places are around 3 miles from our ground.

Both Arsenal Football Club & the Metropolitan Police had been served subject access requests under the Data Protection Act/Freedom of Information Act for all correspondence/evidence/statements relating to the decision to ban Mr Doherty, however neither has been forthcoming with any information stating they will not disclose to third parties & that all correspondence is confidential. Mr Doherty has made complaints regarding the actions of both parties & this now lies in the hands of the Information Commissioner’s Office. It must be remembered that Failure to comply with the Data Protection Act is a Criminal Offence!…

***EDIT*** at 5pm on 10th Dec I got a call from Mick saying the information request has arrived (timing eh?) and proves the policewomen in question has told the club she didn’t ask for a ban from the Courts, when she did. So misled Arsenal football club into giving him a ban***

The decision to ban the fan was clearly wrong it is impacting on the charity and sets a very poor precedent.

Sign the petition now and show your support, not just for the banned fan, but for all fans who could be potential banned after this poor decision.

GC

I am sorry Kenny, Twitter isn’t going to help

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Something has bugged me for a few weeks now. Something which I wanted to blog about, but wondered if it was too insensitive or would be too far against what many people want to read, that something is with regards to Arsenal legend Kenny Sansom.

The frustration’s began a while ago, when a Twitter account surfaced rumoured to be from his nephew. It became clear it was indeed, his nephew, but it also became very clear that his nephew was clearly attention seeking. I do not know how old his nephew is, but it was obvious that he was trying to build a Twitter following through being Sansom’s nephew. It came across as very sad and attention seeking.

Then the news about Kenny Sansom being an alcoholic broke. I had a massive issue with this at the time, the reason being this ‘World Exclusive’ of Sansom’s cry for help, appeared in the very first Sunday edition of a well known tabloid. I took this original story with a pinch of salt, wondering how much Sansom was paid by said tabloid to ensure it had a massive World Exclusive on its first edition.

My frustrations with the Sansom situation increased, as no sooner had he come out (for the 3rd time in the press, no less) as an alcoholic, another Twitter account appeared, with it’s Bio being:

“An account created to show support for suffering alcoholics & homeless. Inspired by my uncle Kenny Sansom to help others like him that aren’t in the public eye.”

How sick in the head must you be to set up a Twitter page about a family member who is an alcoholic? Anyone who has dealt with an alcoholic family member (my family has a history) knows your 1st thoughts are with helping them. Clearly in this case, family members see it as a way to increase publicity. Maybe it is this exploitation of Sansom which drove him to drink to begin with?

The final straw for me came when Kenny Sansom begun his own Twitter account. It became clear immediately that it was unlikely that it was him tweeting. The tweets were in the same childish manner as the previous accounts, set up by his nephew. Was this a coincidence? Was this his nephew giving advice? Or was it his nephew once more using his Uncle’s great name to grow his own ‘popularity’, increasing his own attention, living his life through Kenny?

On his account, Kenny begged the attention of other ex-players. Continually tweeting them, begging for RT’s. I begun wondering once more, whether this was Kenny himself, or his nephew hoping to open up dialogue with the likes of Ian Wright, Lee Dixon, et al.

Most recently, a tweet from his account made me disgusted that it became the straw that broke the camel’s back:

“It’s Ben. Kenny’s really down & struggling big time having fallen off the wagon a few times. Trying to find some ideas to pick him back up?”

This is exploitation. Kenny’s name, his illness, is being used by those around him. His family should be helping him fight the battle, not making his dirty laundry public at every opportunity.

Yes, alcoholism affects a lot of people, and those who suffer from it need to seek help, but they also need to help themselves. What they do not need is to be exploited by those closest, their family, for the sole reason of gaining followers.

Kenny, turn Twitter off and tell your nephew to stop being an attention seeking prick. The Arsenal are with you every step of the way. Other’s are simply exploiting you.

Sporting Chance Clinic
Alcoholics Anonymous

Keenos
 

The Arsenal and Me – Lee’s Story

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Boxing day 1978.

Arsenal 1  West Brom 2.

A wide eyed 9 year old sat in the east upper watching his first match at Arsenal was probably the happiest person in the stadium. Yes it was me and I didn’t care that we had lost because Liam Brady had scored our goal. Ok, it was a penalty but it was Liam Brady!

Growing up in Holloway I was only going to support one team. The Arsenal, but having a father who despised football I had to do it off my own back, although the 78,79 & 80 cup finals helped.

Decorating my bedroom window with pictures from the Islington Gazette & Evening Standard and rosettes started becoming as regular as putting up Christmas decorations. It was an Uncle with a spare season ticket who took me to that first match and I had to wait just over 2 years for my next match when I started going with friends at the ripe old age of 11! It seems strange these days to think of that but its what lots of kids did. Some of the kids round the estate used to just go up there for the last 15 minutes when they opened the gates to get in free but I would dig deep into my pocket money & cough up the 90p to get in the schoolboys.

That was it then every other Saturday (yes Saturday) and through the 80’s I done the Arsenal apprenticeship of schoolboys, North Bank, Clock End and when seating came in West Lower. We didn’t go because we thought Arsenal would win a trophy or challenge for the title, we went to watch the Arsenal.

It went deeper than just football. Some games were spent crowd watching and as a teenager growing up the best fashion trends of the 80’s would be seen on the Clock End on a Saturday afternoon. Items that were hard to come by or not on sale in Holloway sports would be looked at in awe. Some of the older lads were the smartest dressed supporters in the country.

To todays fans, winning the league cup means very little but back in 1987 it meant the world to me. After going Arsenal for the best part of 7 years I finally got to see them win something and a first trip to Wembley. No memberships or away credits needed then, just queue up after a match with a voucher from the turnstile. Even that great day couldn’t compare to what happened 2 years later and I was lucky enough to have a ticket for Anfield 89. The best football match I’ve ever been to and I don’t think I will ever see anything like it again. You can’t put into words the feeling of being there that night.

I used to love going to Highbury and  the whole match day experience. I would walk to Highbury via a pub when I was old enough (well nearly old enough) passing Arthur Daley type ticket touts ‘I’ve got seats upstairs’, the smell of horseshit, hamburgers’ and cigars all rolled into one, the reassuring click of the turnstile, then you were in. Some of the most funniest things I’ve heard in my life are comments that were shouted from the terraces. You can’t explain the pandemonium that hits a terrace when a goal is scored compared to todays cheer clap and then take a photo.

The 90’s were great and some of the players Arsenal had you would only dream about as a boy. But things were changing, all seating really hit atmosphere’s at games & it started becoming harder to get tickets, and then every game became all ticket and memberships arrived.

The trophies I’ve seen Arsenal win has been unbelievable and if you would have told me when I was standing on the Clock End in the pissing rain watching a 0-0  bore draw v Birmingham or the night we lost to Walsall at home I wouldn’t have believed it.

I still go to the odd game now and again but I have been priced out and feel I’ve been taken for granted and I’m not a fan of the new stadium but that’s the way it is now.

I’ll always be Arsenal through and through, it doesn’t just go away.

Lee

If you would like to tell your Arsenal story, click here