BULUKU: The Emirates, the armoury and live Arsenal

If you support Arsenal Football Club and you haven’t been to the Emirates Stadium, then you are a plastic fan.

If you admire Arsenal’s tiki-taka and the Invincible team of 2003/2004, then it would be wise to make a date with the ‘Home of Football’ for a magical experience.

There are good stories about Old Trafford, but the Emirates — in my biased opinion — is the finest.

It’s April 30, a bright day in north London. I’m in a team of 10 Kenyan journalists chasing the First World football dream: A live Premier League game. It’s 10.30am, so we make our way to the Emirates. It’s Match Day. The game starts at 5.30pm but we are here early for obvious reasons.

At the Staff Entrance, we strategically take a position to capture the players ‘landing in style’. They are expected between 11am and noon, so we while away appreciating and admiring the beautiful architecture in our new surroundings.

Then, out of the blue, vrooooooom! “Did you see that! That’s (Alex) Iwobi! Wow! That’s Ozil! They are here,” screams a thrilled James Waindi, jumping up and down with excitement and struggling with his camera. He’s People Daily’s Sports Editor and a diehard Arsenal fan. And for the next hour or so, ‘they roll’ in Bentlys, Range Rovers, Ferraris, BMWs and Mercs. The Millionaires’ toys. It feels like watching a scene from The Fast & Furious.

This is a good start. Our next target: The Armoury. It’s fully stocked with Arsenal merchandise. A scarf here, a jersey there, a rain coat. Great stuff. All round, the Emirates is meticulously lined by photos of key Arsenal players and moments.

There are statues of legendary players: King Thierry Henry, the Flying Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp and the Captain Fantastic Tony Adams.

As fans gather, we rush to the South Entrance. The organisation is world-class. There’s no pushing, no teargas; everybody is disciplined. We meet happy stewards who guide us to the Executive Box. Here, we meet the chef, a gentleman with a mile-long smile.

Judging by the spread in front of him, he must have been hard at work since morning. There are plates of food, assorted salads and quality breads ready for the feasting.

Chilled beer and whisky add nicely to the picture and, as we take it all in, we feel the need to consciously remind ourselves we are at football.

Yes, we could see the red seats of the stands and a glimpse of the green pitch through the glass doors that lead to the balcony, which reassures us we are in the right place. “This is wonderful. Amazing,” remarks K24 Sports anchor Torome Tirike in between sips of fine whisky. “It will take us years (in Kenya) to attain such standards.”

Double T, as he is affectionately known by his followers on telly, drowns another glass of whisky then walks to the balcony. Meantime, our chef keeps the plates busy. Two courses later — steamed fish and grilled chicken with a variety of sauces — and it’s 5.30pm. We step out onto the balcony and I collapse into a second-row seat behind the goal. The padded seats are comfy and the pitch beautiful. The view is pretty.

MUST-WIN GAME

On my left is NTV Sports Editor Watson Karuma while on my right, the veteran broadcaster Jack Oyoo Sylvestre, or simply ‘Kaka Jos’. The weather is good. We are ready for kick-off.

Prrrrrrrrp! Off we go! We are Live with the boys. Petr Cech, Per Mertesacker, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey...

The Gunners are playing Norwich City in a must-win game for either side: With West Ham United and Manchester United breathing down their necks, Arsenal desperately need the three points to secure their Champions League slot, while the Canaries are battling relegation.

From the opening whistle, the Norwich fans — though heavily outnumbered — are livelier and noisier. But as the game picks up pace, the classy Sanchez, the pass-master Ozil and the indefatigable Mohamed Elneny exert their prowess in the midfield. Gradually, the home fans light up.

There’s a brief interruption in the 12th minute when some fans, disillusioned at the club’s 12 years without a Premier League title, protest against manager Arsene Wenger. Their banners calling for change are however drowned by fans fiercely loyal to the Frenchman, who are chanting “One Arsene Wenger!” and “We love you Arsenal!” One man proudly displays a banner that is screaming: “Proud of Arsene, Ashamed of the fans!”

The demo is over in minutes and the focus is back on the pitch. At the Arsenal bench, the wizard of the dribble, Santi Cazorla, warms up to the delight of the crowd. Away since November, it’s too late for the Spaniard — Leicester City are sailing away with the title, the FA Cup is gone and the Champions League ended at the ‘Round of Arsenal’ — but the fans care less. They are just happy he’s back.

Amid the “Ooh Santi Cazorla... Ooh Santi Cazorla” chants, KTN Sports Editor Hassan Jumaa — a Manchester United fanatic — finds surprisingly kind words for his hosts: “This is a good experience. I like the music and acoustics. I wish we had one like this in Kenya. Huku ni ulaya bana (This is the West).”

At the break, the game remains delicately balanced. More food, more drinks. When proceedings resume, nothing much happens from the home side.

The game only changes when super sub Danny Welbeck replaces Alex Iwobi. Assisted by Olivier Giroud, the towering England striker rattles a shot into the back of the net for the only goal of the match. Kaboom! The stadium explodes! High Fives, Hugs and Selfies, Selfies, Selfies...

In the final quarter, the outstanding Cech makes superb saves to keep the three points safe. Their participation in the Champions League is almost secured.

“I’m really impressed. This is very well managed. Shall we ever get here (in Kenya)?” Kaka Jos ‘thinks aloud’ in flawless Swahili as he lifts his hands in the universal gesture of hope. I’m afraid it’s the same ‘false hope’ that Arsenal fans the world over carry each season.

They say it’s better to live in hope than to die in despair. Well and good. “Our football leaders ought to work harder to lift standards. They must work harder,” Kaka Jos laments. Well, I hope our football fathers are listening. That is, if they haven’t stuffed their ears with cotton wool.

The corporates are, however, doing something to lift our standards.

SPORTPESA, ARSENAL PARTNERSHIP

Recently, Arsenal signed a partnership deal with online betting firm SportPesa. SportPesa will engage directly with Arsenal supporters in Kenya through the club’s digital channels, promotional activities and marketing initiatives featuring first-team players and club legends.

As part of the partnership, SportPesa will be offering five-day training camps twice per season, which will be led by Arsenal-trained coaching staff.

These sessions will be designed to ensure that both footballers and coaches in Kenya learn to incorporate the key principles of ‘playing the Arsenal way’.

These camps will also help to support the initiatives that SportPesa has in place to identify and nurture talent at the grassroots level.

As Arsenal and SportPesa team up to develop Kenyan football, grab your ticket to the next game at the the Emirates Stadium. Although they are the most expensive in the Premier League — the tickets cost between £27 (about Sh4,000) and £97 (about Sh15,000) — they are worth the trouble.

“As an Arsenal fan, this is breathtaking. It’s a great experience. A wonderful stadium, great atmosphere and lovely staff. From the stewards to the relaxed staff in the ‘Armoury’ (Arsenal shop). I took a picture with the King’s statue and relived the goal celebration,” a jovial Paul Muchesi of Milele FM remarks.