It was a serio-comic show yesterday evening at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos as Airtel and Malta Guinness hosted Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna in an interactive session with Arsenal's fans in Nigeria.
The players came to participate in promotional activities with regional partners
Airtel and
Malta Guinness who recently signed partnership deals with Arsenal that will allow them harness the club's merchandising, hospitality and content rights.
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| Podolski, Per & Sagna taking questions from Charles Anazado while us ordinary mortals watched |
Like Arsenal fans every where else in the world, Nigerian fans were mostly interested in extracting guarantees of a trophy next season and one wanted assurances from Sagna that his injury from the end of last season had healed sufficiently enough for him to ensure that no goal will be scored through his position at right back.
It was a lesson in diplomacy to see the trio deflect all sorts of questions like, "Sagna, will you leave Arsenal if the likes of Manchester City offered you good money?"
"If it was all about money, a few of would have left ages ago," Sagna replied.
Is it just me or does anyone else see the answer to that question in that response? Not that I blame him though, that's a question no player can answer honestly.
Charles Anazado who emceed the occasion did a good job of protecting the players from some questions that would have embarrassed them. One female fan took the microphone and asked, "What do you think of Arsenal hiring a new manager?"
I turned around to see if the chick was blonde but she was blacker than my black arse and that's saying a lot because my arse is black.
What did she expect the players to say? You're right, Honey. The club needs to sack Wenger and bring in Redknapp.
Charles took the microphone back from her and as tactfully as he manages Victor Ikpeba, Daniel Amokachi and co on his SS3N football show, answered the question himself by reminding the audience that Arsene Wenger has only recently turned down a job offer from the Brazilian Football Association.
It was good to see the boys out here really but it hardly makes up for the
disappointment of the cancellation of the game that was planned for August 5th. My ManU friend actually said the trio had been sent down to play "monkey post" in Nigeria; that's the backyard football game that requires 3-5 players on each side that's popular in Africa using a small goal post that can be set up with stones or sticks.
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| Monkey Post |
All-in-all, it was a good show but we now look forward to the big one with the whole squad in attendance as has been
promised by the
club.
We'll get back to transfer rumours and speculations in this space from tomorrow. See ya.
