If, one day, France were to invade England for who knows what reason (everything moves very quickly in diplomacy), a little tip for our specialists: start the operation in North London and the Highbury district. There, show your identity card, a good baguette, a good county, and you will be received like kings, better than Charles III. Because, France and Arsenal, it’s a story that rolls, especially since Arsène Wenger and his Frenchies put Arsenal back on the forefront of the British scene in the early 2000s.
The performances of the “Invincibles” also attracted a good number of French supporters: “the French Gooners”, some of whom will be in Bollaert this Tuesday, for the second group match of the Champions League (9 p.m.). Because, despite the departures of Henry, Pirès, Vieira, Flamini, Clichy, Nasri, Giroud or Cygan (yes, yes), the Canonniers continue to have a nice little fleet on the right side of the Channel. 20 minutes gave the floor to four French people from different generations who talk about their love for Arsenal.
> Ben, 45 years old, co-creator, in 2007, of the official Arsenal France supporters association, recognized by the club
“My passion for Arsenal began in the mid-1990s, mainly thanks to Sunday shift. When I was young, the first thing I liked about the team was their nickname, the Gunners. The arrival of Arsène Wenger [en 1996] and all French players has amplified the phenomenon. It was deadly to have the major players of the France team in your club, like Henry, Vieira, Pires.
We have always had a lot of respect for the French supporters who arrived in the 2010s, at the time when the club was in a complicated position, where we did not know in which direction it was going. However, it would be easier for them to support another club. We have no explanation, we do not understand this passion. There is nothing rational about football, you fall in love with a club without wanting to.
There are associations, in Norway or Sweden, where there have been a lot of Arsenal supporters for a very long time. But, in the imagination, the Frenchies period had such an impact on the club that people still associate France with Arsenal. And, recently, the club released a collection of “French Heritage” clothing, blue white red, to mark the French touch. With the return of the results, for two years, we have seen more and more young people in France wearing Arsenal jerseys. There is an Arsenal hype that is returning, especially since the game proposed is attractive, and it does not matter whether there are French people or not. My son, he’s 10 years old, he only wants to buy Saka’s jersey. »
> Killian, 19 years old
“I started following Arsenal in 2017. I followed L1 a lot, and even if I was a Losc supporter, I really liked Alexandre Lacazette, who played for Lyon. When he left for Arsenal, I was hooked straight away, and I never let go, even though it wasn’t really the best period. There were disappointments, complicated years, eighth places, the lost Europa League final, but I didn’t give up. I’m only 19 years old, I didn’t know the period with Henry, Bergkamp, but I learned the history of the club. I love the Gunners most of all. Lille will never make me feel the way I feel about Arsenal.
I have posters, I have around fifteen jerseys, I have practically all the club’s merchandising. I study design and I prepare posters at home for club matches, for the players. Arsenal takes up a big part of my life. If, tomorrow, Saliba leaves, I will be sad, not because he is the last Frenchman in the club, but because he is an indispensable part of the club. When I said that I was an Arsenal supporter, at one time, people made fun of me. Now, I’m told it’s the easy way out, while, well, others support City, PSG, Real or Barça. Arsenal is passion, it’s magic! »
> Vincent, 38 years old, president of the Arsenal Supporter Club France association, created in 2003, recognized by the club
“There are a lot of French Arsenal fans from the same generation. I grew up with France 98, and the French players who played for Arsenal. Having a French coach and players of a very, very high level obviously attracts attention. What was a trigger for people to become supporters and not just followers was that the matches were broadcast on TPS. And we were in a period where the Internet was developing enormously, so I was able to learn the history of the club, hang out on forums with the supporters.
Young supporters in France are not only focused on the L1, they hang out on social networks, have all the news from any club within reach, it’s easier to identify with a club today . Afterwards, for new supporters, for them to stay, they must not only be interested in the present moment: they must be interested in the culture of the club, its history, sharing its passion with others. others, because when the results are less good, that will be what will remain. Arsenal is in me, I have a cannon tattooed on my arm.
The advantage of Arsenal is that it is really practical by Eurostar for Parisians or Northerners. We arrive at St. Pancras and then we have just two tube stops to get to Holloway Road or Arsenal station. We are really very close to the Emirates, closer than Saint-Etienne or Marseille. »
> Théo, 23 years old
“I’ve been supporting Arsenal for ten, fifteen years, after my uncle brought me a club jersey, printed with Henry. I didn’t really have a team in mind at the time, and from then on I was interested in the Gunners. When I was little, my parents didn’t really want me to watch the matches, they didn’t want to pay for the Canal+ subscription, so it was complicated to follow, but I never gave up. Thanks to the Internet, it was easier to watch replays, images, news… For five, six years, I’ve been eating up all of Arsenal. And I try to go to Emirates every six months, and it has increased my passion tenfold.
I was always happy to see the French succeed at Arsenal, and that makes me want to be interested in the club even more. But, now that there aren’t too many Tricolores, that hasn’t reduced my interest in the club, on the contrary. With the new generation of players, the little cracks from the academy like Smith-Rowe or Saka that we manage to bring out, you are much more attached to the club than if you bring in guys from elsewhere, even French ones. I can identify more with them, guys my age, than with the French Arsenal players of the great era. »