Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke makes unexpected decision ahead of Bayern Munich Champions League clash
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke was at his first competitive game watching the club in over 12 months as he took his place in the stands at the Allianz Arena for the Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. His son Josh was also present.
Stan was last seen at a Premier League game in December 2022 during a 3-1 win over West Ham. It came just days after the World Cup and was at a time when they were chasing a move for Mykhailo Mudryk.
That was the first time Kroenke was thought to have been at a game involving Mikel Arteta's side since pre-season the same year. It is now believed to have been over seven months since his last Gunners clash.
Kroenke spent time around the Arsenal camp with his son - who has elevated control and impact at the club following a structural change that saw him become co-chair in March 2023. He was at a friendly against Manchester United at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium, which plays home to his NFL franchise LA Rams.
Josh plays a much more active part in the day-to-day running of the club and has been central to the turnaround under Arteta alongside sporting director Edu Gaspar. He also holds a vital role with the Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) empire that includes real estate and other American sports sides.
Speaking to Curious Mike on Youtube, Josh opened up on his feelings for Arsenal ahead of the Bayern clash. "We were a real estate family that fell into sports due to our love of it.," he started.
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"It's morphed into what we have now Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado Rapids. The really big one is over in London. We have Arsenal Football Club.
"We've been pretty committed. We're long-term holders in everything we do. My father's philosophy, and it's the same with me as well, whenever you invest in something, if you're trying to short buck, that's not our strategy. We want to invest in something that makes sense for us over the long term."
The Kroenke family have been involved in Arsenal for almost twp decades. Stan, 76, is an increasingly peripheral figure for fans to see, though.