Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham has reportedly apologised to the 14 Premier League chiefs who were not involved in the proposed European Super League.
The ESL started crumbling on Tuesday and Wednesday as the ‘Big Six’ decided to leave, following intense fan backlash.
Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli says the project ‘cannot go ahead’ without them.
FEATURE: The Super League saga Winners and Losers
During the saga, chief executives of the other 14 Premier League teams met to discuss the plans. They released a statement saying they ‘unanimously and vigorously’ rejected them.
According to The Telegraph, Venkatesham has since contacted those executives to apologise for Arsenal’s involvement.
The conversations have been described as ‘rather awkward’, which is understandable given the sudden back-stabbing that almost came out of nowhere.
It’s also stated that ‘the sentiment is appreciated’. Venkatesham is believed to be the first CEO from the Premier League’s Big Six to have apologised to other clubs.
On Tuesday, the Gunners released a statement saying they had ‘heard the fans’ when opting to abandon the Super League.
Venkatesham has reportedly held a meeting with Mikel Arteta and the first-team squad to talk about what happened.
Hector Bellerin was one player who voiced his opposition on social media, using the words of former boss Arsene Wenger.
He posted a quote of Wenger saying: “To all the Arsenal lovers, take care of the values of the club. My love and support forever.’
There has been widespread anger amongst Arsenal fans towards owner Stan Kroenke.
Kroenke is thought to have been involved in the plans, alongside Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez and Manchester United’s Glazer brothers.
On Wednesday, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust said this could be used as a ‘catalyst for change’.
One of the Trust’s board members said, using a quote from former executive Ivan Gazidis: “Kroenke’s been such an absent owner that he will probably just hide like an absolute coward like he has been doing all week, hoping that it just blows over.
“There’s a lot of noise on social media protests and around London but I’m not sure how much Stan Kroenke cares or will see of it.
“They’ll be hoping it just goes away, but I’m hoping it doesn’t and I’m hoping this can really be used as a catalyst – there’s a famous Ivan Gazidis line from a few years ago when he called for a ‘catalyst for change’, well I think this is a catalyst for change, not just for Arsenal fans but for football fans.
“We absolutely dislike, hate is a strong word, but we really, really dislike our owners.”
Fans are expected to protest outside the Emirates on Friday when the Gunners host Everton.
The post Arsenal CEO ‘rings 14 club execs’ to apologise for ESL saga appeared first on Football365.