A Dubai Arsenal fan recalls his 2013 Emirates Stadium visit as the club’s long partnership with Emirates Airlines comes full circle after historic triumph
When Emirates Airlines signed its historic partnership deal with Arsenal in 2006, the world was a very different place. The Burj Khalifa was still under construction, Barack Obama had yet to prove to the world that an African-American could become the president of the United States, and Novak Djokovic was still a teenage prodigy hoping to earn his first Grand Slam breakthrough.
Emirates, which signed the deal with Arsenal when the team was still under legendary French manager Arsene Wenger, holds the naming rights to their home stadium.
Every home matchday sees 60,000 fans throng the state-of-the-art Emirates Stadium, singing the club anthem from the first minute to the last, in victory and defeat.
The past two decades saw Arsenal endure many heartbreaks in the Champions League and near-misses in the Premier League.
But what has remained constant is the magical connection between fans and Emirates Stadium.
No wonder fans wearing the Arsenal shirts bearing the name Emirates rushed to the iconic venue in London to celebrate the greatest moment of their lives after the Gunners clinched the Premier League title on Tuesday night, ending their 22-year wait for the trophy.
Amitangshu Dev Choudhury, a Dubai resident and a big Arsenal fan, was not in London to be a part of euphoric celebrations.
But the Indian expat still gets goosebumps when he remembers his 2013 visit to the Emirates Stadium.
“The biggest reason for my trip to London in 2013 was to visit the Emirates Stadium and experience the magic of Arsenal firsthand,” Dev Choudhury told the media.
Remarkably, head coach Mikel Arteta, who ended Arsenal’s league title drought on Tuesday night, was the team captain in 2013 when Dev Choudhury visited the Emirates Stadium.
“It was a different feeling when I entered the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium. I saw where the players sit with their shirts still hanging over their seats,” he said.
“I have always been a big fan of Arteta. He was the captain then. So I had taken a picture of myself with Arteta’s shirt in the background. I was thinking of that moment last night when we won with Arteta as the coach. I got goosebumps.”
Over the years, Emirates and Arsenal’s partnership, which was extended until 2028, has gone from strength to strength.
Apart from building a strong commercial relationship, the two giants have always kept the fans in their hearts.
In the 2023 season, Emirates selected one fan from Uganda, Adrian Ntwatwa, for a special experience at the home stadium.
Ntwatwa earned the ultimate match-day experience after being flown from Uganda via Nairobi to London.
His biggest surprise was getting a welcome from Brazilian legend Gilberto Silva, a member of the 2003-2004 ‘Invincibles’ squad.
Now it’s only natural to expect Dev Choudhury to dream of getting the Ntwatwa moment.
“Of course, I hope to be in the Emirates Stadium one day for an Arsenal Premier League match,” he said.
“I still remember walking through the tunnel from where the players walk to the ground. The feeling you have is indescribable. I had seen my heroes walk through that tunnel. So to be in that tunnel was surreal!”
