Mathieu Flamini told Arsene Wenger that he’d be prepared to hack off his own arms rather than back down in the ongoing row over his shirt sleeves.
The Frenchman has taken a scissors to the long-sleeved shirts in his last two games, something that caused a row with kit man Vic Akers and upset people who think a tradition is being disrespected.
Pressed on the matter last night after the comfortable 2-0 win over Marseille, Arsene Wenger said the tradition should be upheld, saying, “Yes. I don’t like that and he will not do that again. I was surprised. We don’t want that.”
But there was dressing room drama as Flamini drew a razor sharp Katana from his locker and told the Arsenal boss he’d rather live an armless life than wear long sleeves.
The midfielder had to be talked out of it by Per Mertesacker who reminded him it would make it very difficult for him to blind opponents if he didn’t have any arms.
Further talks are planned today with Wenger set to tell Flamini to just roll up his sleeves and get on with it.
The Twitter reaction
Brilliant work. Its the Danny Dyer “Tweet” that makes it.
Its the Mugatu tweet that did it for me
So we’ll get to see Flamini sport the piano-key neck-tie?
Even without arms he’d still a tough cookie. But seriously…..is it THIS thats gonna cause a stir in the dressing room. If so, fucking sort it now.
when i read this all over the internet, I honestly thought it was a joke
” threatened to cut his arm off”
what a load of garbage
I’m not really sure what is going on but, why can’t Flamini just get a short sleeved shirt?
Because the captain decides whether the whole team will wear long sleeves or short sleeves before the match.
Ta.
I’m going to assume there’s not a rule that says you all have to wear exactly the same (else Flamini would’ve been called on it before), is it a psychological thing?
I personally can’t see why players can’t wear what they want, if Flamini want’s to be a hard, weather ignoring bastard, be my guest!
I vaguely remember that Vieira introduced the rule whereby everyone wears either long or short sleeves as dictated by the captain. Some kind of unity type psychology.
I seriously can’t be the only one who thinks “who the fuck cares?”
He has been awesome for the team this year, I had my doubts on him joining on a free thinking if he was what we needed and I am pleased I was utterly wrong. He’s been the enforcer in the centre of the park we’ve missed.
If he wants to wear short sleeves, give him a bloody short sleeved top. I really do not see the problem in this. Talk about mountain out of a molehill.
I really don’t see what the fuss all about?
……….short , long, medium sleeves?….who cares?
I personally don’t give a toss as long as arsenal keep winning!
i will take an arsenal goal anydayand will not be bothered by the length of the goal scorer’s sleeves, thank you!
COYG!
If you plays football then you must know sometimes long sleeved is on you nerv and with rolled up is gonna worse than long sleeved and sometimes recognize can’t run with rolled up of course it’s happern for some players. My personal idea : traditions can changes for better situation. All players should have a choice for T-shirt. Tonight In the Zesca Moscow-Bayern Munchen match, Javi Martinez wore short sleeved in the cold weather of Moscow. I know Arsenal is not Bayern but i think it’s players choice.
Because a skipper decides on matchday which kind of shirts (long/short sleeves) team is going to play and everybody has to wear the same lenght.
The traditions goes back a long time before Vieira. Although interestingly, Flamini didn’t have a problem rolling up his sleeves (instead of cutting them off) when he played under Vieira and Henry.
Anything to do with the tightness of the sleeves?
Tight sleeves when rolled up create tight blockages of body heat and hence are not comfortable. Especially for someone works/runs as hard as Flamini, the heat is unbearable.
Kit men can get Flamini a slightly bigger size shirt so that it is still loose and makes him feel comfortable when rolling up his sleeves.
Traditions have to start somewhere.
Perhaps in a hundred years time the media will lambast Arsenal’s future midfield enforcer for not “doing a Flamini”, and taking a pair of scissors to his shirt – thereby disrespecting a tradition started by the clubs legendary 2013-14 treble winning midfield enforcer/pointer.
if it makes him play better, who the fuck cares is what i say.
The whole team is up in arms over this…
In no particular order, Flamini should either:
a) roll his sleeves up and get on with it
b) paint his armswith Dulux brilliant white emulsion.
c) become captain
d) cut his arms off
As the last three are joke making, then the only serious and possible solution is the first of your suggestions.
However, with the sleeves rolled up, for me it even looks more ugly and rebellious than wearing a short-sleeve shirt (while your captain is wearing one with long sleeves).
Suggestion c) wasn’t really a joke and he probably would be captain if he hadn’t run off to Milan so he should treat wearing long sleeves as Penance!
e) everyone stops getting their knickers in a twist over absolutely nothing and instead, look at the premier league table and have a laugh at Tottenham’s ‘title credentials’
Fuck me, kids starving in Africa and we’re fretting over a player who wants to wear short sleeves.
You raise a valid and hilarious point, but please don’t be the guy who brings starving kids in Africa in to completely non-related arguments.
When adding a modicum of perspective, I feel it’s relevant. We’re top of the league by 4 points, our biggest rivals in Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and (to a hilariously lesser degree) Spurs are all sitting there talking about a crisis. We’ve spent almost 9 miserable bloody years bemoaning our quality. We bemoaned our manager, our board, our players and even our traditions. Now we’re sitting atop the Premier League and people choose to find a problem in one player wanting to wear short sleeve tops? Yeah, a bit of a perspective wouldn’t go amiss here at all. We’re… Read more »
B) made me literally laugh out loud.
Sleeve him alone.
Jsleeve him alone
you meant sideline him or force him to train alone?
yeah, I see no ‘arm in that.
Chester Cartwright is spot on…. bring back the Plague
if it’s making him uncomfortable then the board shld get him short sleeve, it’s nt big deal afterall barca’s pique doesn’t wear long & no one make drama out of it….
Hi, please see comment policy – http://news.arseblog.com/comment-policy/
Thanks.
Leave MadgunnerZ4lyf alone.
A whole storm in a tea cup. Tradition? What a load of old school bollocks ffs
Who give a shit as long as we are winning games.
Wenger has finally claimed Fergie’s throne. He has created the perfect non-story to deflect the World’s attention away from our recent loss to United and take pressure off of the players as we enter a tough run of games. This story will run and run, and I don’t see the ‘arm in that.
Just make him captain.
Maybe it’s his way of saying he wants to be captain 😉
and ten others suffer from the cold weather.
However, I don’t see the benefit of this old tradition, which arguably might work with teams with largely English/British players.
I feel that the Club is a bit overly conservative on this policy. Traditions can be created and can be abandoned.
Never underestimate the power of tradition. It can make you feel a part of something enduring and it can generate pride in your own and your team/culture’s achievements. Our traditions are a part of the reason so many ex-players love the Club and want to come back to it. This is a fine tradition, and Flamini has written himself into the folklore of the Club by finding an unusual way to not only challenge it, but simultaneously highlight it too.
Why are players forced to wear what they’re not comfy in? Sleeves shouldn’t be a big deal, come on now! This is ridiculousness!
Totally agree because if we had lost our last 2 or 3 games then we wouldn’t even be talking about this.
Wenger would have made sure we were talking about this if we had lost our last two games. It’s better than having everybody talk about an Arsenal losing streak.
If Flamini feel so strong about this he cunt his arms off then we should let him ware short sleefs
I find your strange manner of speech revoltingly peculiar, yet somewhat endearing nonetheless
Especially the new version on the word ‘cut’. I’ll use it next time I’m singing ‘The First Cut is The Deepest’.
nonsense talking are all over newspapers. They even make money out of it.
why can’t we just concentrate on wining matches.?.If Flamini has to wear a tattered shirt for THE ARSENAL to win a Trophy,so be it!.NOW THE LITTLE BOY IN PIERS MORGAN IS HAPPY,COZ HE’S JUST GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPIT CRAP ONCE MORE.COYG!!!!!
Trust Arsenal fans to go looking for something controversial. Top of the league, top of the group but still bitching about something.
Ive just woken up and been off sick for a few days. Read this and pissing myself laughing! Cheered me right up
Quality!!
I don’t get why all players have to wear the same thing but I don’t see how sleeves will really make a difference to Flamini. Just roll them up and keep blinding people.
I don’t get why people don’t get that Flamini doesn’t get the getting of this tradition. Got it?
If it’s not a contravention of any health and safety rules or regulations, let him be.
Some players like to feel free and unrestricted. Theo doesn’t like them either and pulls them up to the top of his fore arm, making his sleeve look 3/4 length with the fold over. TR7 likes them long.
Exclude him from the captains choice and allow him to wear short sleeves. Simple really. Couldn’t be worse than snipping them.
We could talk about sock length – Jack and Flamini like them shorter than most. I bet if he could, Flamini wouldn’t wear shinpads.
I prefer unity and tradition…
Unity does not necessarily mean everyone needs to be the same. There can be unity in individuality. As long as we connect on the pitch and work for each other in defence and attack, isn’t that the type of unity we want?? That is what will win us a long awaited trophy!
Coldplay fans… Love this! 😀
Flamini has the right to bare arms.
Fantastic.
I demand the right to arm bears!
Superb. That is absolutely superb. You win blog comments.
I think Matt wins the whole internet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RablPaIREkk
Giroud has no problem with sleeves, he just rolled it up.
I mean, whats the big deal???
Every time he picked up the scissors, he saw his own reflection in the blades and got distracted. In the end he ran out of time so just had to roll them up
I find this theory perfectly believable.
It’s outrageous Flamini cuts his sleeves off….those poor 10 year olds in the Tailand sweat shops work damn hard to make those shirts.
I do know that if its twitter or my lack of internet lingua but those sample tweets didn’t sink in for me.
It’s you, all you. They are not made up in the slightest….
When things are going badly, the media talk about our football and club and how we’re too lightweight and mentally weak.
When things are going well, the media talk about Flamini cutting off his shirt sleeves…… I mean, really??
Can’t the press just not talk about us at all?
No chance of that
I know, I almost prefer them slagging us off.
I was listening to the commentary for the Marseille game and that muppet Steve Nichol was sledging them more than us. I felt dirty and immediately took a shower after the game finished.
I like it better when people doubt us, feels sweeter when we shut them up.
Why are so many people responding to this so seriously?
you do know the above article is more in “jest” than anything else right?
YES, the sleeve story is true but do you honestly think ANYONE at afc are bothered about it really?
We are top of the league, and things are going ok. the media need something to write about.
Dont take life so seriously….
read the blog again and read the “fabricated” tweets… if you dont laugh, you obviously dont get the publishers humour, wit or personality.
LMFAO…
Arsenal Supporters. …jeeez!!
Seriously or jestingly, the fact that Flamini had to cut the sleeves off is not nice.
It’s a tradition, and should be honored. That’s the long ( or short ) of it.
Sorry – couldn’t resist 🙂
On another note… did anyone catch the Marseille players socks last night just before the second half kick off?
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/keithr10/b03bde46c66918a94400171726ec917e.jpg
Perhaps they have a similar problem in sock rebellion!
They’re wearing different boots as well… The rebellion has started!
Tension in the dressing room is the last thing ee need. fuck flamini get in line boy!
Forcasted News Headline in May: “ARSENAL WIN TITLE, BUT DESTROY CLUB’S TRADITION IN HISTORIC SEASON OF TREACHERY”
If he becomes captain the rest of the boys will have some job sowing sleeves on
For F**ks sake, let him wear short sleeves, do not want him distracted by his long sleeves..what if if gets confused between the whites of the football and his longer sleeve…(on a serious note he does use his arms a lot more to balance/pivot/turn, a lot more than others) its a newish tradition, remember the purpose of it when introduced was to show togetherness.. if the very same tradition brings discord then change it, start a new one. Problem is most of us including posters above forget the ‘purpose’ and hang on to the ‘medium/conduit’ to achieve this. This is… Read more »
What a truly selfish cunt! Fancy wanting to wear a tshirt on a football pitch. Its about time they took those traditional black boots off him and gave him some pink ones.
To be fair, a lot of these comment are off the cuff……
Just for the protection I’d advise him to wear long sleeves all year round. I’m pretty sure other teams will want to have a bite of him in the near future (starting with Suarez) cause he keeps demolishing them and having protective long sleeves would increase his chances of survival tenfold.
Is this a real story? Long Sleeves are for girls.
I heard those aren’t shorts that Flamini wears, they’re actually trousers
mehh, move on.
if Flamini feels so strongly about short sleeves, he should be allowed to wear them. I like tradition but it shouldn’t trump player comfort.
I know everyone likes our away shirts, but as someone that has a strong personal distaste for polo style collars, if I was a star player in the team, I’d hope I could get a special v neck version of the shirt.
Player comfort …. This is exactly how nazi germany started.. today sleeves tomorrow Flamini will invade poland
Mark my words
Were gonna win the league tm
I want Flamini to cut the sleeves off of his new suit, that would be badass.
I would much prefer him to chop the Dutch Skunks bollocks off rather than his own arms.
How would he be able to pick up the Premier League trophy in may?
Can we start a new tradition that our players must never be allowed to wear snoods ever again?
Wilshere smoking, Bendtner arrested now Flamini’s shirt…..where did it all go wrong? Heh….
eats shoots and sleeves
I think the hacked off sleeves are, as well as being rather endearing, a fair compromise: if Flamini had his own way he’d be playing naked apart from some warpaint and a necklace made from bits of his previous victims, probably living in some rudimentary hovel or hermitage at the side of the Emirates’ pitch, living on raw pigeon and pie scraps, emerging only to repel invasions of his realm and howl at the moon.
This is a bad tradition. Every player should be entitled to decide to wear either long sleeves or short sleeves
Some golden comments in here. Of course, this isn’t one of them.
#topofthetableproblems
Who gives a fuck. Just win, baby
Who controls the past controls the future,
Who controls the present controls the past.
This sleeve issue may seem trivial to some but traditions are traditons and they have to be respected. If so many greats have followed it without a problem over the years, why can’t flamini do it? If he’s already been warned once at OT and he does it again, honestly it shows a lack of respect. Don’t get me wrong, the lad will take a bullet for the team. But you’re just another member of AFC and you do what it required of you as a member of AFC, no matter how small and irrelevant it seems.
“Disarmed and Gangrenous: The story of Mathiew Flamini”