One key element of Mikel Arteta’s excellent work as Arsenal manager has been the improved atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium.
Prior to his arrival, the Stadium would see more empty seats on a regular basis, and fan fury meant the Emirates was a toxic place at times.
However, Arteta has rebuilt the connection between the team and the fanbase, and the Emirates Stadium has an entirely different feel now, with Arsenal fans preparing displays to make big games even more special.
Arsenal are back in the Champions League, and will back themselves against the best teams in the world under Arteta, and some mouthwatering clashes are set to take place in North London this season.
Every Champions League game will see a slight change to the matchday routine of match-going Arsenal fans at the Emirates, and it is a noticeable one.
Why Arsenal anthem ‘The Angel’ is played earlier in Champions League games
One significant part of the Arsenal matchday experience came in 2022, as the club introduced pre-match anthem The Angel to the Emirates.
The song was written by musician and local Arsenal fan Louis Dunford, and it instantly became a hit amongst the fanbase, with it now sung before every home game.
It is typically played just before kick-off in domestic matches, but it comes earlier in the Champions League. Fans will need to be in their seats at least eight minutes before kick-off during these ties if they want to sing along to the anthem.
The reason for this is because of a UEFA regulation, which requires the anthem to be played during a specific time when the players emerge from the tunnel, as the last song before the game begins.
Rule 53.02 of the UEFA Champions League regulations states that “the walk-on music provided by UEFA must be played from when the players emerge from the tunnel until they have lined up, at which point the UEFA Champions League anthem provided by UEFA must be played.”
With Arsenal often playing The Angel during team huddles after they have lined up, the anthem now needs to be played before the players emerge out onto the pitch.
What Mikel Arteta has said about Arsenal anthem ‘The Angel’
The Arsenal players and staff clearly love the anthem, with the unity in the ground helping motivate the players before each game, and Arteta even praised the impact the song has had on the fanbase.
“It’s the song The Angel from Louis Dunford, and I think we can call it our anthem,” he stated in May 2024.
“It’s something that I always felt that we were missing, and it’s a moment before the most important moment of the week, which is the kick time.
“Our thoughts get together, and we look at each other and we are connected, by raising our emotion and singing a song that is related to our football club and our team and in particular to Islington and the area where our stadium is based.
“We found that song, he is a massive Arsenal Fan. He said he was totally engaged to that. We did in a beautiful way, and I think that added another dimension and another deepness to the feeling and connection to the club.
“That helped to change the atmosphere at the stadium, and that helped the team to feel more confident, more excited, more determined to play, he created some fear in the opponent, so it’s a lot of consequence to that.”
Arsenal fans attending any Champions League match at the Emirates must therefore aim to get to their seats earlier than usual, in order to give the team a huge boost before they line up on Europe’s biggest stage.
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