Imagine playing a football match so badly as to make the leader of a country take to Twitter to rant about it.
Arsenal have been struggling with results for a while now and a defeat in the Premier League should not really come as a surprise for anyone anymore, but a new season invariably begins with an iota of hope. After all, Arsenal start the Premier League season top of the table too.
But things nosedived rather quickly on Friday night for the Gunners and it got Twitter buzzing. It even made Rwanda’s leader Paul Kagame on Saturday unload his disappointment after they opened the Premier League season with a loss to newcomers Brentford, saying Gunners fans deserve better than “mediocrity”.
The veteran president and long-time Arsenal supporter tweeted a tirade after Brentford returned to their first English top-flight season for 74 years with a 2-0 win over the Gunners on Friday evening.
Kagame, whose country is an official sponsor of Arsenal, said Brentford deserved the win but the Gunners had soul-searching to do.
“The game itself aside Arsenal and the fans don’t deserve to kind of get used to this....NO !!! I say this as one of the big fans of Arsenal. The change has taken to long to come!” the president tweeted in a three-part post-match screed to his 2.4 million followers early Saturday.
Kagame, a former rebel leader who has ruled Rwanda since the aftermath of the genocide in 1994, hammered club management over planning and questioned decision-making around the acquisition of new players.
“We just must NOT excuse or Accept mediocrity. A team has to be built with purpose to win win win. So that when we lose....it was not to be expected!” Kagame said.
“I am sure we all know on whose shoulders the heaviest burden rests. I hope they know too or even accept it!!!”
Rwanda became the official tourism partner of Arsenal in 2018, with players sporting a “Visit Rwanda” logo on their shirt sleeves during matches.
The three-year deal was aimed at drawing tourists and investors to the tiny east African nation, and burnishing its reputation as a safe, sought-after destination.
Kagame often expresses his opinions about the club’s performances during summits and on social media.
Brentford made a blistering start to their first English top-flight season for 74 years as goals from Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard earned a 2-0 win over Arsenal in front of a first-ever full house at the Brentford Community Stadium on Friday.
The Bees spent the first season at their new home playing behind closed doors, but rose to the occasion as they were roared on by 17,000 fans in the first Premier League match at full capacity since March 2020.
“What an atmosphere,” said Brentford manager Thomas Frank. “The first time in the top-flight, we are opening the Premier League season and for our own fans, they can dream. We are top of the league.
“We are going to celebrate every win, but we want more.”
By contrast, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is already under pressure.
The Gunners have finished eighth in each of his first two seasons in charge and the Spaniard has a daunting task to turn things around before the September international break with title favourites Chelsea and Manchester City to come in Arsenal’s next two games.
“I don’t think we deserved anything different,” said Arteta in a damming indictment of his side.
(With AFP inputs)
The Arsenal result, as it often does these days, produced quite the reaction on Twitter with many references to the Amazon documentary that is being filmed around the club.
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