Arsenal will send four first team players to Nigeria as they look to save face following the cancellation of a much-vaunted pre-season friendly in Abuja.
Bacary Sagna, Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky are the awesome foursome nominated to spend the middle weekend of July shaking hands, smiling, waving, signing autographs and generally doing their best ‘we-are-not-responsible-for-the-match-being-called-off-why-not-buy-a-replica-shirt-lol’ face for local Gooners.
Having signed sponsorship deals with regional brands Airtel and Malta Guinness, they’ll no doubt be plenty of opportunities for the quartet to also pose with mobile phones and quaff malt-based soft drinks as well.
Speaking about the decision to send the players, Arsenal’s head of global partnerships Vinai Venkatesham said:
“We were disappointed to have to postpone the game and intend to visit Nigeria next summer. However we are delighted to be bringing this group of players to Nigeria to take part in events with our regional partners. It will give us a chance to engage with local supporters and reinforce our commitment to the market.”
In addition to the upcoming flying visit, Arsenal have reasserted that they will play a pre-season friendly in Nigeria next summer.
Surely Abujaby should be part of that delegation?
…
…
why?
He might pull a hamstring when boarding the plane and we sure as fuck don’t want that.
Perhaps we should send RVP to represent us? After all he loves the club and isn’t interested in the money, but ambition. Well let us show him 1st hand the ambition we have to capture loads of Nigerian fans
Nah, he’l be too busy multitasking between being a cunt and sticking his boot far up arsenals fans for that.
I find it very brave of AFC to send on a overseas trip to represent the club … two relatively new players. ( Per and Poldi). But on reflection, both are very smart individuals, and BAC and Rose are Arsenal loyal players. A good mix.
urgh “It will give us a chance to engage with local supporters and reinforce our commitment to the market”
what a horrible, marketing driven choice of words.
mind you at least it’s not Demento in the DHL advert, looking confusedly at the delivery van outside the Glazerdome before shoo-ing it away. “hurry up, that sack is full of money for the Glazers!” he seems to be saying
That was my first reaction too. Not a mention of the fans who were so excited at the prospect of seeing Arsenal play. It’s no fucking wonder we have poor commercial revenue if we make public announcements that ignore the fans. If you want to gain fans you should try speaking to them as if they were people instead of numbers on a fucking spreadsheet. They should make sure those four players meet some proper fans while they’re there. A ten minute kickaround with some kids in the street would do Arsenal more good than a thousand bullshit sponsor dick-suck… Read more »
Instead of accountants driving our commercial development across the world we could do with just one guy who understands people rather than money and has just a smidgeon of fucking imagination.
I have always been depressed when seeing how many people attack the board all the time, and hate to see it, yet this single statement has pissed me off way more than I would imagine anybody at Arsenal ever could have done. They sound just like the cunts from IBM who sent my fucking job to India.
I don’t have your job anymore brother..they fired me and sent my job(your job) to Malaysia bro..
Ah yes, the Malaysians, well I’m afraid they’re jobs are being outsourced to the Mid West of the US, they’ve some truly staggering government subsidies out there to make coding nice and cheap. Full circle (and fat, fat profits) ahoy!
monies
Hmmmm indeed, well I suppose if we accept that the Glazerdome is an international exchange and perhaps the Pie Shops accept many currencies then you would be correct. Although technically both singular and plural would be acceptable in context, I would suggest.
‘we-are-not-responsible-for-the-match-being-called-off-why-not-buy-a-replica-shirt-lol’
LOL.
Woohoo! I’m sure gonna get one of those replica shirts and (possibly get it signed). Thanks Arsenal!
PS: I’ll be far far away from the GK’s pink jersey though. 😀
I wonder who nominated those 4 players??
Did they volunteer or draw the short straw!
Or maybe it was a game of rock, paper, scissors, which would explain why none of the younger players are going or would it???
This calls for a thorough investigation, any volunteers?
Or maybe a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide??
I think i might have had too many cups of coffee!!!
Rock
Spock
Lizard.
Does not compute.
ZZZZZRRRRRTTTTTT
Bacary Sagna, Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky
Three are crocked so can’t train in pre-season, and Podolski is the new boy who shows Arsenal can sign the big names and have ambition.
I absolutely love Thomas vermaelen……….
Phew!!!, been holding that in for too long now.
COYG.
Seeing him In the chinese promotional video was a dream. Verminator…..verminating his into the chinese hearts.
Shame the tour was called off. But if we are going to send anyone, why not Park, Chamakh & Squillaci? By boat. Via Somalia.
And young Theo – see that contract and that pen there?
Unless you’re looking for inspiration for your next book, and it’s gonna be called TJ and The Big Fuckin Horrible Pirates, I would suggest you sign up young man.
aren’t there any clubs in sudan? i’ll bet a six-month loan for theo would significantly improve his consistency and work rate. you can’t say you don’t give a shite and turn off during a game when it’s a game of stray bullets.
(this comment is not serious.)
“Theo, we have decided to send you to African Tigers for a few months to improve your agility and work rate.”
“Huh, I never heard of that football club.”
“Who said anything about a football club?”
I think they are pencilled in for the soon to be announced upcoming friendlies in Syria.
I bet that ends in a shoot out.
Or a 9/11.
What if we sent Thomas Vermaelen in his full shaolin kit with his sticks and swords will that improve that not improve the relations? ;p
“…will that improve that not improve the relations?”
Ah. There’s that appreciation of the duality of ying and yang to back up his Shaolin credentials……
Shame really. You was in China last year why not go to africa this year, america next year and then china again. We are just slow in our doings… Is that how they are exposing the brand
We have a 25 man squad plus the younger regulars. We could happily send teams to both Africa and Asia this year and both would have plenty of first team players, but we only have one Wenger. He can only go to one place, and he’d want all the best players with him so he can monitor how they’re going.
I think they will be on a bus parade around Lagos and probably be special guest on various TV game shows for Airtel and Malta Guiness.
At least they will be in a Boko-Haram-free region.
yeh, no Boko-Haram for me either. I can’t stand A Whiter Shade of Pale.
oh, wait.
Ha ha, very good.
Worth a chuckle this.
I’m here all week.
I’ve got a little something for you…
LOL
There ya go…
Don’t get too carried away now merlin.
I just wonder if we are doing this for the love we get from africa or is it because of airtel and malta guys putting the pressure on us.
a bit of both I would imagine.
They need to save face with the fans for disappointing them by cancelling the match, which this will help towards, along with the rescheduled match next summer. At the same time it will no doubt be to do with the commercial opportunity to get the clubs players into adverts for airtel and malta guinness, and to sell a healthy chunk of merch. Everyone’s a winner.
Considering it’s the love from Africa that would have prompted the associations with Airtel and Disgusting Malt Drink Inc., you can just go ahead and say “a lot of things” went into the scheme and leave it at that.
As long as we learn that in all future tours / matches we make sure the deal is cast iron and everything we want arranged in relation to it is an absolute certainty before we tell the world about it.
We come out of this looking like fools, and a four man visit to our sponsors is hardly going to make things better for the fan in the street, or the five friends he convinced to come watch Arsenal play.
Not being harsh or anything, but do you not think it’s obvious that the reason the match was cancelled was because of the religious fundamentalist terrorist group rampaging with impunity throughout he region, which the authorities aren’t able to do anything about and which the organisers couldn’t guarantee wouldn’t pull something during the visit? Obviously Arsenal officials aren’t going to come right out and say it – but the fact is, this was on the Nigerian side to ensure that the players were made safe – they haven’t been able to do that to the club’s satisfaction, so Arsenal are… Read more »
Ah, the Transfer Window–surely the silliest of Silly Seasons! I was reading ESPN’s “Transfer Blog” (which should probably be renames “Fiction Writers’ Workshop”) and see that that RvP turned down an offer from Juve of 300,000 pound a week and wants to go to ManCity, and Liverpool is boasting they’ve acquired Clint Dempsey for 10 million quid and he will go on Liverpool’s tour of the States and play shortstop for the Red Sox, and Fulham comes right back and says no such offer was made, and…but you get the point.
Bring on the end of August.
Arsenal need to go across the pond to North America. Every other English team has been here virtually the last 5 years except Arsenal. Who the hell wants to see Liverpool!?
Old people who remember how good they used to be and haven’t read any newspapers or watched TV for the last five years.
Arseblog, its irritating to read some of these comments and post.. What was the ‘shake hands, smiles and take photos lol’ all about. Its clear how your guys look at us. Am disapointed.
I think it’s more to do with sending players on what is considered commercial activities than any negativity towards the people of Nigeria.
Kanuuuuuu !!
Chim chimmeny Chim chimmeny chim chim charoo who needs Anelka when we’ve got Kanu
CLASSIC although next season it will be…
Chim chimmeny Chim chimmeny chim chim charoo who needs VAN PERSIE when we’ve got GIROUD 🙂
I’d like us to sign the old Liverpool player Bruno Cheyrou, we’d then have Cheyrou, Djourou and Giroud.
We should get Eduardo back from Shaktar, then we’d have Dudu.
Dudu’s shit. 🙂
Careful ther Midfield Corporal, that’s like the vaguely “Can We Fix It?” reference earlier. Not everybody comes from your culture, so they don’t all know about doodoos, or number twos. They think you’re having a pop at Eduardo.
That would explain the thumbs down, although the joke was fairly weak and probably deserved them anyway.
tsk…… Its all rite
They should just forget about Abuja. Come straight to Lagos & feel the mad love!
I was slightly worried when Spurs appointed AVB as their manager.
But given that AVB likes to squat on the touchline as if he’s creating a pile of shit, him managing Spurs is a perfect fit.
He’ll be much more competent than ‘Arry, that’s about the only thing that worries me. For one, he can read.
Avb will do a great job finishing off what ‘arry started: spending spuds into bankruptcy…
Cant wait to see these fantastic4 visit Nigeria. Looking forward to seeing Arsenal Play my Dear Kano Pillars Team. Gunners in my Blood4ever.
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Speaking of English teams coming to the states- sp*rs are playing in LA this month. Don’t know a single person going to support the cunts. However…I know PLENTY of gooners going to let them know they’re twats on both sides of the Atlantic.
gooner gooooooneerrrrrrssss…I was in high expectations and you made me look like an ass!!
gooner gooooooneerrrrrrssss…I thot I’ll see you before you’re seen in England but you dashed my heart!!
I’ll miss you till I see you……… Gooooooneerrrrrrssss
Does anybody have any idea how much we are actually going to make from these deals?
They sent in the A Team!
Per “Hannibal” Mertersacker
Lukas Faceman Podolski
Bacary Albert “B.A” Baracusagna
and crazy lil Tomas Murdock Rosicky
Maybe there are other matches we could choose to send a delegation to instead. Who wouldn’t be happy never to have to visit Stoke again?
It would make more sense.
We’re far more likely to have players horribly maimed at the Britannia than in Abuja.