Arsenal fans erupt as club issue a massive pay-out for second year ahead of Spurs clash

Arsenal have paid £3million to a company owned by Stan Kroenke

MEMBERS of the Arsenal Supporters Trust are angry after the club sanctioned a £3million pay-out to a company owned by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke for the second successive year.

 

Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE), who received the payment, have been widely criticised and faced opposition when news of the first payment broke before last years' Annual General Meeting.
The club claimed the money was paid for "strategic and advisory fees" to KSE, who also run Kroenke's basketball, MLS, ice hockey and lacrosse teams.

If there is spare cash floating around at Arsenal it would be better put toward reducing ticket prices, paying match-day staff the London Living Wage or investing in strengthening the squad

AST spokesperson

The £3m equates to the three per cent rise in tickets prices that Arsenal fans were asked to pay at the start of this season.
And the club's refusal to invest significantly in the summer transfer window or address the ever-increasing price of tickets has once again come to the surface.
Speaking ahead of the Gunners' trip to rivals Tottenham in the League Cup tomorrow night, a spokesperson from the Arsenal Supporters Trust (AST) told The Evening Standard:
“It is staggering that once again Stan Kroenke has seen it fit to pay himself £3m from Arsenal. 

 

"Last year the AST questioned the club’s board on this payment and they were unable to explain what the services Kroenke provided were, and why there was no tender for a consultancy fee of such magnitude. 

“If there is spare cash floating around at Arsenal it would be better put toward reducing ticket prices, paying match-day staff the London Living Wage or investing in strengthening the squad.

"[Chief executive] Ivan Gazidis always preaches that Arsenal are a self-sustaining club without any cash being injected into the business, if this is the case it is wrong that money should be taken out in such a way and breaches the principles of custodianship on which Arsenal used to be widely admired.”