Arsenal mascot’s dad speaks out after daughter blanked by heroes

The father of an eight-year-old Arsenal mascot who appeared to be ignored by her football heroes before Sunday’s clash with West Ham United has spoken out on social media. Gunners fan Piers Morgan was among those to slam the players for failing to acknowledge the youngster, although new footage may have let Mikel Arteta’s men off the hook.

Fans and celebrities were quick to cotton onto a video posted by Arsenal’s official Twitter account on Sunday, which showed the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Kieran Tierney, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Martin Odegaard failing to acknowledge the mascot.

Olivia Murray, 8, was visibly excited to meet the high-flying Gunners and she explained in the pre-match programme that Odegaard is her favourite player. In response to the clip, Morgan wrote on Twitter: “Come on guys, at least one of you say hello to her?!!”

However, Olivia’s father made it known that the brief footage did not tell the whole story, responding: “My daughter had a lovely time as mascot for Arsenal.

“There was only a small window to meet the players and she enjoyed it very much. Odegaard is her favourite player so to hold his hand onto the pitch was very special.”

After the original video was posted, subsequent footage emerged showing Olivia and Odegaard having a brief chat before heading out onto the pitch. Arsenal players were evidently doing all they could to remain focused ahead of their clash with the Hammers as they sought to stave off the challenge of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Next up for Arsenal is Southampton’s visit to the Emirates on Friday, which will give them a chance to rebuild their lead while City compete in the FA Cup this weekend. Arteta and Guardiola have history as they spent three years working side by side at the Etihad Stadium.

The two sides are set to meet next Wednesday in the biggest Premier League clash of the season, with the winner poised to take a significant stride towards title glory.