en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Arsenal News https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/news "I am happy we won, and anything else, I don't think about" 🤷‍♂️ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:50:37 GMT Rob McCarthy https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366587 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366587 false false Given football’s unchallenged position as the world’s favourite game, perhaps it is surprising that there have not been more major on-field protests by footballers and football teams in the history of the sport. Certainly, there are few, if any, footballing protests that are as iconic as the Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, or Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War a year earlier, which effectively led to his ban from boxing for several years and meant that the greatest boxer ever was probably robbed of the prime part of his career. However, perhaps it is precisely because football is so popular and therefore has always attracted the interest (often the controlling interest) of tycoons, media moguls and even tyrants, that it has been robbed of much of its potential for activism. Put simply, perhaps there has always been so much at stake with football, the most popular of sports, that other less popular sports have led the way in terms of awareness-raising. That may be changing now, in what appears to be a new era of athlete-activism, as shown by the twin protests by the Norwegian and German men’s football teams this week. They used the start of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup to draw attention to the appalling human rights record of Qatar, the host of the next World Cup, particularly when it comes to deaths among the migrant workers who are building the stadia that will host the tournament in just over 18 months’ time – more than 6,500 in total, according to a report by last month. And even in the past, there have been footballers – both male and female – who have been prepared to risk criticism, financial loss or worse to make a protest. Here, in un-chronological order (i.e. starting with the most recent) are five of the most famous. Famous Football Protests 5. Taking the Knee (2020 and Onwards) The Norwegian and German men’s international teams may well have been emboldened to take their public stance against their potential host next year by the widespread success, or at least widespread adoption, of the gesture of taking the knee to protest against racism by footballers around the world over the last year. Of course, the ‘footballer’ who initially took the knee was not a soccer player at all but an American footballer, or NFL player, Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who first took the knee in August 2016 in protest at police brutality towards young black men in America, which included numerous police killings. However, it was the murder of one black man in particular, George Floyd, in Minneapolis nearly four years later, probably because it was caught on camera in all its hideous detail, that led to the almost universal adoption of the gesture by sports teams, including football teams, around the world. Read More: As we approach the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death, the near unanimity among sportspeople and particularly footballers of all colours in taking the knee has begun to fracture. In the Premier League, for instance, Wilfried Zaha has publicly stated that he will , in protest at what he regards as the inability to translate widespread support for the gesture into meaningful action against racism, in particular the racist abuse of black footballers such as Zaha himself on social media. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that taking the knee has been the most high-profile and widely supported on-field protest in the history of all sport, let alone football. And the hope remains that social media companies, for one, will finally take the action that is required of them. 4. Megan Rapinoe Takes the Knee (2016) Megan Rapinoe is the best player and the public face of one of the greatest international football teams ever, the current USA Women’s Team, which is one of only four international men’s or women’s football teams to have won two successive World Cup tournaments. And if, as is entirely possible, the USA make it a hat-trick in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, they will deserve to be regarded as the of either gender. However, Rapinoe has never been satisfied with just being a supremely successful player; she has also often been the world’s most outspoken footballer of either gender. As an openly gay woman, she has long been a public campaigner for greater LGBT+ awareness and equality. And only this week, while her male Norwegian and German counterparts were making their protest about Qatar 2022, she appeared at an event at the White House in America to publicise Equal Pay Day in America, an event designed to heighten awareness of the continuing pay gap between men and women in all economic and cultural sectors, saying: “I’ve been devalued, disrespected, dismissed because I am a woman”. However, arguably her finest moments of activism came in 2016 when she became the first footballer of either gender to follow the lead of Colin Kaepernick and take the knee, first in a domestic match in America and ... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:35:08 GMT Martin Keady https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366498 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366498 false false Bayern Munich are wasting absolutely no time preparing for a massive summer transfer window. With manager Vincent Kompany looking to ruthlessly upgrade his squad, the German giants have reportedly locked onto two wildly different, yet equally exciting, targets. DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! […] The post appeared first on . Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:32:58 GMT Ahad Shaukat https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366474 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366474 false false Roundup of the promotion, playoff and relegation battles to be decided going into the final games of the season Emmanuel Dieseruvwe’s 99th-minute winner for Rochdale against Braintree Town last week was a showbiz ending to a game that set up a showbiz ending to the season: the victory means Dale go into the final day with a chance of winning the National League and sealing the one automatic promotion spot, and they are hosting the only team above them, York City, who lead by two points. Everything else in the division – the other playoff contenders, the four relegation spots – is settled, so the final day has 11 fixtures with not a lot on them, and one with everything on the line. With the game long since sold out York are showing it on big screens at their LNER Community Stadium and go into the match with the confidence of a side that have won 17 of their past 20 games (they did lose twice on their travels last month) and usurped the top spot Dale had hogged for much of the season when the then leaders had a mini wobble of two draws, two defeats and two wins around the end of March and start of April. “Whoever put the fixtures out at the start of the year might be getting a little bonus for how it’s ended,” said Ethan Ebanks-Landell, the Rochdale captain. “It’s a massive game, I don’t think there’s been anything like it in the history of football – not that I’m aware of anyway.” Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:25:39 GMT Simon Burnton https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366401 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366401 false false There are just five games left in the Premier League this season, and Arsenal begin that run with a clash against Newcastle United. The Gunners ... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:22:20 GMT Shamanth Jayaram https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366379 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366379 false false Hello everyone and welcome back to Inside Arsenal.In today's show I react to Manchester City's win at Burnley last night and discussing whether Mikel Arteta ... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:16:10 GMT Charles Watts: Inside Arsenal - News and transfers https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366327 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366327 false false The Gunners hero also told three players to 'step up' to get over the line... 💪 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:12:15 GMT Will Ford https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366291 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366291 false false What happens when 'trusting the process' isn't enough anymore? 🤔AFTV is the largest Arsenal fan channel in the world, bringing you daily content including:A... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:12:00 GMT AFTV https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366288 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366288 false false There has been a close relationship between horse racing and football throughout history, with stars from the Premier League typically being in attendance for major days on the equestrian calendar at… Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:03:09 GMT Site Staff https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366227 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366227 false false On today's podcast, Harry Symeou is joined by talkSPORT's Olly Clink (Newcastle fan) to discuss the title race, Man City's win at Burnley, what Arsenal can e... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:57:08 GMT The Chronicles of a Gooner https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366202 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366202 false false Arsenal travel to Spain next week to take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:56:15 GMT football.london@trinitymirror.com (Ryan Taylor) https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366199 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366199 false false Gary Neville and Roy Keane have both shared their Declan Rice concerns as Arsenal's title battle against Manchester City takes another twist Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:56:07 GMT football.london@trinitymirror.com (Kieran Horn) https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366197 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366197 false false The Premier League title race has suddenly become very interesting. Arsenal and Manchester City aren’t just tied on points after 33 games; they have the ... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:45:36 GMT Shamanth Jayaram https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366131 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366131 false false Erling Haaland scored Manchester City's winner at Burnley and seemed to grow frustrated by constant questions regarding their lack of goals at Turf Moor on Wednesday night Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:45:20 GMT Samuel Meade https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366129 https://sportspyder.com/premier-league/arsenal/articles/56366129 false false