Paris Saint-Germain are just 90 minutes from potentially eliminating their third English opponent in this season’s Champions League knockouts, and Arsenal were already taking heat online before Ousmane Dembélé even scored in the fourth minute.
Despite knowing PSG had already ousted both Liverpool and Aston Villa, Arsenal fans were in full voice as the match kicked off at the Emirates. But their pre-game tifo—an oversized red flag featuring the club’s iconic white cannon—failed to impress, especially when compared to the more imaginative displays from Villa fans earlier in the tournament.
The flag, hung behind the North Bank goal, at least spared legendary ex-manager Arsène Wenger from having his view blocked as he made a rare appearance to watch his former side in person.
Online, however, the reaction was swift and unforgiving. Fans of rival clubs mocked the banner relentlessly. One user on X (formerly Twitter) quipped, “Got to be the worst tifo I’ve ever seen?” Another joked it looked like it came from discount retailer Temu. Others piled on: “Arsenal doing Arsenal things,” one wrote, while another scoffed, “Up there with their manager begging fans for support.”
Some criticisms were less about the design and more about the process behind it. One user called it evidence of “zero thought” and a reason fan engagement is crucial: “Corporate entities don’t understand creativity.”
Arsenal fans weren’t thrilled either. Influencer Connor Humm slammed the club for rejecting a fan-designed concept in favor of the final version, calling it a “monstrosity” and expressing disappointment over the lack of ambition for such a big Champions League moment.
The harshest critiques? Comparisons to the generic backdrops seen in football video games—an insult that cut deep.
Brutal.