Arsenal Tifo Criticism: Are British Clubs Behind Europe With Fan Banners?

The Emirates' ambiance was hailed arsenic among nan champion successful nan stadium's history for Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final astatine location to Real Madrid, truthful location were precocious expectations for Tuesday's semi-final against Paris St-Germain.

A fourth-minute extremity for nan distant broadside punctured that, but Arsenal's tifo show besides fell flat.

On societal media, rival fans mocked nan elephantine reddish emblem pinch a achromatic cannon, while immoderate Gunners supporters besides expressed their disappointment astatine what was unveiled.

It was nan club's first Champions League semi-final quality since 2009, truthful fans wanted thing befitting nan occasion.

Manager Mikel Arteta described nan crippled arsenic "one of nan biggest successful 19 years" successful his pre-match news conference.

However, what was delivered did not rather fresh nan bill.

Arsenal instrumentality group Ashburton Army raised much than £12,000 and offered to salary for their ain personalised tifo pinch galore different designs suggested to nan club.

On 24 April, they posted an update saying: "As nan tifo has been rejected by nan club, we will refund group for it."

BBC Sport has been told that Arsenal were incapable to judge nan connection because of nan short timeframe betwixt games.

What they utilized was a elemental ample reddish emblem featuring nan club's cannon emblem successful achromatic arsenic nan centrepiece.

This hung from nan tile of nan North Bank Stand, while different smaller banner was held by fans successful nan East Stand pinch nan words "make it happen" printed crossed it - a pre-match connection that Arteta had fixed to his players.

Those 2 displays were added to by fireworks and pyrotechnics, but they were acold from thing retired of nan ordinary.

One instrumentality posted connected X: "I expected a very beautiful tifo from Arsenal only to observe this? It looks for illustration Fifa profession mode."

Another claimed: "I deliberation this whitethorn beryllium nan astir commonly agreed worst tifo of each clip fixed nan circumstances."

While a 3rd said: "Arsenal turned down nan fans' tifo creation petition to nutrient this monstrosity. Champions League semi-final and this was nan champion they could travel up with? So disappointed."

According to erstwhile England striker Wayne Rooney, moving arsenic a TV pundit, nan ambiance astatine nan Emirates connected Tuesday was different to nan Real Madrid game.

Before that match, supporters successful each artifact of nan stadium held up reddish and achromatic cards supra their heads.

"For Arsenal, I was a spot disappointed pinch really they played, disappointed pinch nan fans arsenic well," Rooney told Amazon Prime.

"I thought coming they were a spot subdued, almost for illustration an anti-climax that they hit Real Madrid and were going to locomotion into nan last and triumph nan competition."

Arsenal instrumentality writer Laura Kirk: "One of nan instrumentality groups Ashburton Army had raised immoderate money for a tifo which was yet rejected by nan club, I ideate because nan designs were not successful keeping pinch nan club's marque but nan nine haven't really said anything.

"Arsenal person put a batch of effort into creating an ambiance that matches nan size of nan game, which worked brilliantly for Real Madrid, but nan tifo they went pinch yesterday, virtually conscionable a cannon connected a reddish background, felt a spot flat.

"In comparison pinch what we spot elsewhere successful Europe, for illustration nan 1 Real Madrid had against america past week, it conscionable felt for illustration a massively missed opportunity to do thing amazing."

Oli Price-Bates from The Fresh Arsenal Podcast: "The tifo from nan nine was surely a spot underwhelming. The juncture deserved much from nan nine to thief pinch nan ambiance and instrumentality engagement.

"Certainly if Arsenal get to this shape again, they request to beryllium amended prepared and impact nan fans successful nan process, not conscionable successful tifos but nan wider acquisition and build-up for nan match.

"Hopefully we won't hold truthful agelong for different semi-final and nan nine will beryllium amended prepared to make much impact."

Broadcaster and Arsenal instrumentality Harry Symeou: "I deliberation nan fans were hoping to spot thing pinch a spot much of a wow factor. Given location was tons of talk online pinch regards to immoderate much elaborate, striking designs - you tin understand why immoderate felt underwhelmed.

"Tifos connected nan continent thin to beryllium much imaginative and really tin group nan segment up of a immense occasion. Fan groups, successful peculiar those known arsenic 'ultras' usually person a large input - starring to a higher complaint of instrumentality satisfaction. But this is thing we don't do good capable successful English shot generally. If arsenic a club, you're going to return it upon yourselves to some scheme and execute specified displays, you've sewage to present thing pinch acold much imagination than that."

On nan whole? Probably.

And it's surely not conscionable Arsenal who person fallen short successful nan department.

West Ham United tried their manus astatine 1 against nan Gunners during this season's Premier League fixture astatine nan London Stadium. It was a elemental show of their logo successful nan mediate of nan day they were founded - unluckily for them though, nan day looked for illustration it publication 1695 alternatively than 1895.

Away from nan gaffes though, English clubs person shown successful caller times that it tin beryllium done erstwhile executed correctly.

Aston Villa had awesome displays astatine Villa Park during their Champions League campaign, while Crystal Palace are surely connected nan way of a squad that get it "right" erstwhile it comes to tifos.

The 2 moreover had their ain conflict pre-match successful nan stands earlier their FA Cup semi-final astatine Wembley.

Villa unveiled 3 lions astatine their extremity earlier Palace displayed an awesome reddish and bluish wall pinch an image of a kid successful beforehand of an FA Cup lofted supra nan words "take my hand, return my full life too."

Manchester United person besides had immoderate imaginative designs earlier their Europa League fixtures, while Newcastle United person been awesome passim nan play pinch their unsocial displays.