A united tribute to a legendary gaffer

When Arsene Wenger leads his side down the tunnel to the hallowed turf of Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday, the fans of Arsenal and Manchester United in this far away city will come together in a rare show of bonhomie to pay tribute to the legendary French gaffer.

A live screening of the match, organised jointly by the Manchester United Supporters Club Kerala (MUSCK) and the Arsenal Kerala Supporters Club (AKSC), will be held at ChaiCofi, a coffee shop near Kaloor, to mark the occasion.

The duel between the two sides in the English Premier League (EPL) on Sunday will be Wenger’s last visit to the home of one of his side’s fiercest rivals as Arsenal manager.

Earlier this month, he announced his decision to step down after managing the London outfit for nearly 22 years.

“It was MUSCK members who came up with the idea of a combined screening of the match as a tribute to our manager. We will be organising a special tribute of our own in Malappuram either during Arsenal’s last English Premier League match or during the final of the UEFA Europa League, if our side makes it that far,” said Ajmal Muhammed, AKSC treasurer.

“Manchester United fans can identify with the sentiments of losing a long-time manager . We had our own Sir Alex Ferguson who retired after serving the team for 26 years,” said Vimal Mohan, a core member of the MUSCK.

Incidentally, Wenger set the EPL record for managing the most number of games earlier this season by replacing Ferguson.

Mr. Muhammed was appreciative of the MUSCK’s gesture in bringing out a poster on the event dominated by the image of Wenger while leaving out images of their own manager and players.

Though organised jointly, both sets of fans promise that it will be as boisterous an affair as ever replete with good old fashioned banter and taunting. Only the chants against Wenger will be kept out, they say.