English club Arsenal have backed their highly maligned video clip of a mascot being “blanked” by players of the club.
Many supporters, including Talk TV presenter Piers Morgan and TalkSport presenter Laura Woods, bashed the lack of connection between the North London players and the happy young girl.
However, Arsenal say it was “just one interaction” in a “whole day with the team”.
That only made many observers across social media even more confused as to why Arsenal would decide to put out that kind of video clip.
One person posted: “We all agree the clip didn’t show the club and players in the best light. Looked more like a tick box exercise as opposed to genuinely caring about a young fan.”
Another individual wrote: “I’m sure she had a great day but you would think that somebody in the media team at Arsenal would have raised a hand and said it wasn’t a great look before they posted it.”
And Piers Morgan stated: “Come on guys, at least one of you say hello to her?!!”
Laura Woods later posted on twitter: “I contacted Arsenal, they explained this was just one interaction on a whole day spent with the team.
“We often don’t hear enough about the good footballers do. But eye contact or a smile also takes no time.”
Nevertheless, the young girl’s father supported Arsenal over the occurrence.
The little girl’s father posted: “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.
“(Captain Martin) Odegaard is her favourite player so to hold his hand onto the pitch was very special.”
Many fans think that clip could be deceptive, irrespective of how mechanical it appeared.
But one fan said: “It does make you wonder why they didn’t just choose a clip where the players did interact and talk with the young girl though.”
And another individual wrote: “One interaction or not, that’s a whole squad completely failed to acknowledge her.
“None had the decency to take their headphones out to have a quick word. It was like, ‘give me the pen so I can get out of this situation as fast as possible’. How the club can’t see that is baffling.”
When did the incident happen?
The incident occured after Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium and the Gunners have dropped important points in back-to-back matchdays.
They face Southampton on Friday in the Premier League and many are already predicting doom on their push for the league title.
Arsenal have seen their lead at the top of the Premier League table cut down to 4 points with Manchester City having a game in hand and to many seemingly easier fixtures to face.
Mikel Arteta’s side still have London rivals, Chelsea to play this season alongside challengers Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion amongst others.
After they face Southampton on Friday, they play Manchester City next at the Etihad Stadium in what has been dubbed the “title deciding” clash.
