18 April 2023 , 11:32
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Arsenal fans Piers Morgan and Laura Woods have criticised the club after a video of a young mascot getting her shirt signed by the players was shared on social media.
But the players' conduct has been DEFENDED by the girl's father.
The clip was posted on Arsenal's Twitter page of the young girl meeting the squad before the game against West Ham on Sunday, but Morgan and Woods were among those unhappy as the players did not appear to try and engage with the mascot at all.
"Come on guys, at least one of you say hello to her?!!" fumed Arsenal fan Morgan on Twitter. Woods and former footballer Ally McCoist said the clip was "disappointing" and "shocking" on talkSPORT.
"It doesn't take a lot just to acknowledge somebody and [give] a little smile," Woods said.
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"It's quite symptomatic that video, I think, of football now or footballers now. What's a bit disappointing is I actually messaged the club because the club put it out and I think they put it out thinking 'they've all stopped and signed the shirt, this is great'.
"But maybe that in itself is the problem, somewhere along the line there's become a disconnect between what you're meant to do for those mascots. The club did say it's part of a matchday experience, so that's not the only interaction she had with the players.
Eddie Nketiah hands on the pen after signing (@Arsenal/Twitter)
Ben White signs the shirt after arriving (@Arsenal/Twitter)"She was a mascot, she went out on the pitch with them as well and would have been on the pitch during warm-ups. There's a lot of stuff we don't see.
"That's not excusing that video because after I watched it I went 'was it cut off afterwards, maybe they did' and I went back and watched it [again] and they didn't, they carried on.
"I understand it's a pre-match routine and perhaps you're in your bubble and that's kind of what I've heard back as well, but how long does it take just to make eye contact or something. I looked at that little girl and her face and she's waiting for the eye contact or some kind of acknowledgement."
Co-host McCoist added: "I thought it was shocking, I really did. But I've been saying for a long time the gap now between the top footballer and the fan is bigger than it's ever been.
"There's things that happen that are great, but that was agony watching that."
Former England cricketer Ryan Sidebottom also weighed in, tweeting: "Be humble be respectful an treat people how you expect to be treated !! Remember you were in that position growing up wanting to meet your heroes & idols #neverforgetwereyoucamefrom".
BBC presenter Nick Knowles lambasted the players, writing: "I suggest @Arsenal you get her and her family back and give your players another go at being decent human beings - admittedly they’d have to be coached into it but it might be something that sticks with some of them if it’s pointed out."
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Gabriel Jesus signs his signature (@Arsenal/Twitter)
And Bukayo Saka does likewise (@Arsenal/Twitter)However, the girl's father has assured fans his daughter's experience as a mascot was "very special".
He said: "My daughter had a lovely time as mascot for Arsenal. There was only a small window to meet the players and she enjoyed it very much.
"Odegaard is her favourite player so to hold his hand onto the pitch was very special."
The young girl leads out the side alongside Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard (Twitter)On the field Arsenal allowed a 2-0 lead to slip for the second successive week, as their Premier League title tilt hits crunch time - with Manchester City hot on their heels.
Club captain Odegaard bemoaned their failure to claim all three points on a day when they had looked extremely comfortable, before being held to a share of the spoils.
He said "We gave them the game they wanted, we gave them hope, and that's on us. We have to look forward now. We started to do a lot of stupid things on the ball, we allowed them to play on the long balls.
"We have to remember we are still top of the league with everything in our own hands. The same mindset, same mentality to make sure we win the next one."