Arsenal and Spurs unite following ugly chants

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur put their intense on-field rivalry to one side on Monday by taking the unusual step of issuing a joint statement condemning the chants of some of their supporters at Sunday's north London derby at White Hart Lane.

Arsenal fans were offensive towards their former striker Emmanuel Adebayor who now plays for Spurs, mocking the gun attack on his Togo team bus during last year's African Nations Cup tournament in Angola which left three members of the Togo party dead.

The Arsenal fans chanted: "It should have been you, it should have been you, killed in Angola, it should have been you."

Spurs fans targeted Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger with their own offensive insult as they have done for much of the last decade.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was scathing of the Arsenal fans afterwards, describing the chants at Adebayor as 'disgusting' and Spurs confirmed on Monday that several fans from the home and away sections of the crowd were ejected during the game.

"How do you chant something like that. You can't be right mentally. There were kids up there," Redknapp said.

Wenger said he had heard the chants and added: "We respect everybody and want to be respected too."

The statement, issued on their websites read: "Both clubs were extremely disappointed to hear the chants from supporters at yesterday's game.

"Neither club tolerates foul language, racist chanting, homophobic chanting or any anti-social behaviour from its supporters.

"We shall be working closely with each other to identify the individuals involved."

A Tottenham spokesman said Spurs, in line with club policy, would ban for life any fan found guilty of offensive chanting during the match which they won 2-1.

Despite Monday's united front, it was not all harmonious between the clubs immediately after Spurs' victory.

Tottenham's assistant coach Clive Allen described Wenger as 'two-bob' - a derogatory put down - for refusing to shake his hand after the final whistle.

Wenger replied: "Nothing happened. I shook hands with Harry and (assistant) Kevin Bond. How many hands do I have to shake?"

Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Arsenal

Arsenal goalscorer Robin van Persie shows his disappointment at the whistle

Ivan Perisic came off the bench to smash in a superb late volley and rescue a deserved point for Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Group F opener against Arsenal.

Robin van Persie looked to have earned the Gunners a precious win with a fine goal from Theo Walcott's through-ball.
But Perisic dipped a sublime 20-yard volley home to salvage a draw.
And only a fine Wojciech Szczesny save from Robert Lewandowski in injury time stopped Arsenal finishing with nothing.
A defeat would have been harsh on the Gunners, especially after an improved rearguard action in the second half, but few could begrudge the German side a point from a match they dominated for long spells.
In fact, for 40 minutes in the first half Arsenal were kept almost completely on the back foot.
After Gervinho had been brilliantly denied an early shot on goal by Mats Hummels' outstretched boot, Dortmund dominated, the German champions making a mockery of their fourth seeding in this season's group-stage draw.

Analysis

Continue reading the main story

Lee Dixon,
BBC Sport football pundit

It's a great point in the end for Arsenal, especially after the first 40 or so minutes when they looked so vulnerable. They tightened up well in the second half though, and Alex Song was absolutely outstanding. They will be disappointed to have conceded so late - but what can you do about Perisic's strike?

Mario Gotze was inventive, Lewandowski a menace, and Shinji Kagawa a constant source of energy as the hosts time and again played through a porous Arsenal midfield.
Kevin Grosskreutz fired over when well placed in the box, Kagawa did similarly after being put through on goal and then Lewandowski was denied by Bacary Sagna's goalline clearance having rounded Szczesny in the Arsenal goal.
With the Gunners far too lightweight in midfield, Mikel Arteta dropped to a deeper-lying midfield role, pushing Yossi Benayoun further forward - a move that helped forge a rare Arsenal chance on 30 minutes when Benayoun released Van Persie, only for the Dutchman's snap-shot to be tipped around the post.
Dortmund continued to control proceedings, however, and it looked only a matter of time before the hosts broke through.
And then Arsenal scored. Sebastian Kehl's poor touch ended at Walcott's feet via Van Persie's touch, and the Englishman's return pass was a delight, allowing Van Persie to take a touch before rifling a rising drive past Roman Weidenfeller.
It was a big goal at the perfect time for the Gunners - and Wenger, seated in block 27, row 24, seat 63 of the 80,000-capacity stadium as a result of his touchline ban, will have liked what he saw after the break, too, Arsenal emerging in far better shape than they did the first.

Though Dortmund continued to boss possession and territory, they did so with far less venom than in the first half, Arsenal dropping a touch deeper and looking a lot more compact in midfield to frustrate the hosts.
The outstanding Alex Song was at the heart of that for the visitors, and he played his part in creating a chance for Gervinho an hour in, the Ivorian dancing past Neven Subotic and then Hummel before being denied by keeper Weidenfeller.
With the clock ticking down and the hosts increasingly erratic in their attacking play, Arsenal looked comfortable.
It was then, though, that Dortmund finally produced a killer finish, Kieran Gibbs's half-clearance falling to substitute Perisic, who unleashed a fabulous dipping volley into the top corner.
Buoyed by their late strike and driven on by a rejuvenated home crowd, Dortmund went in search of a winner - something Lewandowski almost provided one-on-one late on, only to be denied by the right hand of Szczesny in the Arsenal goal.
In the end, then, the Gunners were grateful for the final whistle - though a decent away performance overall should ensure they go into Matchday Two in a fortnight's time against Olympiakos in encouraged mood.