Arsène Wenger hopes that Arsenal and Leicester supporters opt against a five-minute boycott of Sunday’s match at the Emirates Stadium, saying that football provides a “moment of happiness” that should not be passed up on.
The Leicester supporters’ group, Union FS, plans to enter the ground only after five minutes have elapsed in protest at the decision to reschedule the kick-off, which had previously been due for 3pm on Saturday, to midday. They have asked home fans to join them but Wenger say such statements should take place before a match has begun.
“You want everybody there when the game starts,” Wenger said. “For me, the game is a joy and everyone has to be part of it. You can protest before and after, but during the game you want everyone to be there.
“It’s a moment of happiness in your life. Life is not every day fantastic – sometimes it’s boring, sometimes it’s difficult for many people. Football is a moment of happiness in your life, so don’t miss it.”
Wenger does not, however, believe that the sight of empty seats would have a negative impact on his team, despite the temptation to draw that conclusion from Liverpool’s loss of a two-goal lead to Sunderland after their supporters’ 77th-minute walkout last Saturday.
“I wouldn’t like to use that as an excuse,” Wenger said. “I think, once the players are on the pitch, they are focused on the job. Sometimes I didn’t even know if it rained or not during the game because you’re so much in the game that you do not focus too much on what is happening in the stands.”
Asked about the growing backlash – evidenced at Anfield – against football clubs treating fans as consumers, Wenger stressed the importance of making sure local supporters are able to watch their teams.
“I see fans as supporters,” he said. “Somewhere I think they feel like [when] you are at home and use electricity – you have no choice. They go to the club, they have no choice. It’s a little bit like their faith. Football started in the street with people building the club and coming from local places. You want people who live around the stadium to be capable of going to the game.”
Speaking more specifically about ticket prices, Wenger suggested that the Premier League’s situation differed from some of its overseas counterparts and said that Arsenal themselves offered supporters a fair deal in the market.
“I don’t think we are on the same level ground as foreign clubs,” Wenger said. “For example, Bayern Munich paid one euro for their ground whereas we paid £128m for ours. In France they pay nothing at all for their stadium, nothing at all for their maintenance. We pay absolutely everything ourselves so we have to generate more revenue. It is true we get more television income, that is down to the audience and success but as well it is down to the pressure of the market to pay for players at a higher price.
“I looked at the comparisons. Our cheapest prices are cheaper than anywhere in London; our most expensive price is a fraction higher than the other clubs in London; our most common ticket price is lower than many places in England. I don’t think we have a massive problem on that front.”
Wenger expects Arsenal to take on Leicester with the same squad that won 2-0 at Bournemouth on Sunday, but hopes the long-term absentee Danny Welbeck will be fit to return in next weekend’s FA Cup tie with Hull City.