PARIS (AP) — When Arsenal takes on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday, the rivalry will extend to chants in the stands.
At Budapest’s Puskas Arena stadium, thousands of rival fans will try to drown out their rival’s national anthem with their own.
Defending champions PSG’s players belt out “Tooth Ensemble on Chantera” (Let’s all sing together), a song devised by the club’s ultras fans.
Arsenal fans will be singing along to the catchy chorus taken from ‘The Angel (North London Forever)’, written in 2022 by singer and Arsenal fan Lewis Dunford.
It’s a tribute to the Islington area of north London where he grew up, close to Arsenal’s current and past stadiums, Highbury and the Emirates. It was quickly adopted by a section of the Arsenal crowd and continued to grow in popularity thereafter.
“I wrote this song in my bedroom as a little love letter to my hometown,” Dunford told the audience during the concert. “I never dreamed that I would hear this song at every home game.”
Using London’s rhyming slang known as Cockney and a gritty but witty vocabulary, it tells of local pubs and run-down council estates old and new, featuring villainous characters, single mothers and people in trouble with the law.
“The mansions may be changing, but the people are still there,” Dunford added, singing. “It’s in the roots we inherit when a generation ends; it’s in the ruins of your youth and the faces of your past.”
An uplifting chorus rings out. arsenal fanslooks like this:
“North London forever,
“No matter the weather,
“The streets are ours.
“And my heart will never leave you.
“My blood will remain forever.
“Run through the stones.”
Famous actress Anne Hathaway also posted a video of herself singing the song on Instagram, which went viral.
Two weeks ago, Arsenal fans celebrated by singing this song. First Premier League win since 2004Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described it as an “outburst of emotion” after so many near misses over the years.
By comparison, PSG’s Ligue 1 title is their fifth consecutive year; 14th overall, highest ever.
But until then last year PSG have never won the Champions League before and at one stage it seemed like an impossible ambition.
Confusion to victory
PSG’s anthem reflects the loyalty of their fans through their struggles on and off the field.
When sung slowly with a steady drum in the background, the song goes like this:
Paris SG,
Chantella’s Tooth Ensemble (everyone sings together),
Cet amour qu’on a pour toi (this love we have for you),
Qui ne cessera jamais (it never ends).
Après tant d’années (after many years)
De galères et de Combats (Failures and struggles)
Oh, pour it to Paris SG (oh, for PSG),
On va se casser la voix (We will break the voice).
The club’s ultras came up with this under a new collective name, Collective Ultras Paris (CUP), after they were finally allowed to return to PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium.
fans praised it loudly When PSG were in Munich last year 5-0 victory over Inter Milan To win the Champions League.
PSG coach Luis Enrique joined the fans after the team’s defeat against Munich earlier this year. An exciting semi-final.
dark days
Such bright scenes were in stark contrast to PSG’s past.
PSG were far from Europe’s elite when Arsenal reached the Champions League final in 2006, losing to Barcelona in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.
Despite their lack of on-field success, PSG also dealt with a major hooligan problem that began in the late 1980s, with several large brawls breaking out near the Parc des Princes stadium, including one against Arsenal in 1994.
In 2006, a PSG fan was shot dead by an off-duty police officer after a UEFA Cup home match against Hapoel Tel Aviv. The police officer was protecting Hapoel Tel Aviv fans from a threatening mob that surrounded them.
On the field, PSG came close to being relegated to the second division in 2008, but won away on the final day to stay in the league. In 2010, there was another death toll in football violence, with violent clashes arising from a bitter feud between rival PSG fans.
QSI arrives
QSI, backed by Qatar, acquired PSG in 2011 and loaned it billions of dollars.
However, despite signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, PSG failed to win the Champions League.
Until then Enrique took command In 2023.
went out neymar And Mbappé and his new team were built around selflessness and teamwork. Enrique brought in young players such as: Desiree DuetI felt motivated again. Ousmane Dembelelast year’s Ballon d’Or winner, made a game-changing decision when signing. Hvitya Kvaratskheria.
spanish connection
Enrique the Spaniard arteta He was a great midfielder.
Enrique, 56, was a standout for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Arteta, 44, played for PSG from 2000 to 2002 and Arsenal from 2011 to 2016.
If Arteta leads Arsenal to a first Champions League win by one point over his compatriot, the chants in north London will be deafening.
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