The Arsenal manager and the Stoke City chairman do not approve of the chants directed at Aaron Ramsey during Sunday’s Premier League clash.
A section of Stoke City fans were heard singing “He walks with a limp” at the Welshman in reference to the double-fracture he suffered at the Britania due to Ryan Shawcross’ clumsy challenge back in 2010.
Stoke City chairman Peter Coates told The Guardian that he wasn’t aware of the chant during the game, but confessed that he had absolutely no time for it.
“You’re telling me something that I’m completely unaware of. I’ve no idea that chant had taken place, but we wouldn’t approve of it at all,” Coates said.
Arsene Wenger was aware of the chant during the game, but revealed he felt helpless to do anything about it, speaking at his post-match presser.
“I don’t think it’s a minority of fans; I know it’s a minority. People chant all sorts of awful things at all sorts of grounds, which I dislike. But do I approve of that sort of chanting? Of course I don’t.”
“I shut my ears and I think that’s the best way to deal with it. I don’t know what to do about it. I have no influence on it. When people get together sometimes they forget their individual responsibility and maybe when you go home and watch it on television you are less proud.”
Coates agreed with Wenger that the best course of action is to simply ignore nasty songs such as these.
“You go around football grounds and hear some chanting I don’t like. I wish they didn’t do it but how do you control these things? You can’t. The best thing is to shut your ears in a way, like he [Wenger] said: switch off and ignore it as best you can.”
