Hong Kong Arsenal fans behind ‘Respect Wenger’ plane banner stunt deny Jardine Matheson funded it
Rumours online speculated that Arsenal chairman Chips Keswick, brother of Jardines’ Tai-pan may have been behind it
A group of Hong Kong Arsenal fans who paid for a plane to fly a banner supporting under-fire manager Arsene Wenger over a match at the weekend have denied that Jardine Matheson had anything to do with the stunt.
John ‘Chips’ Keswick, the Arsenal chairman, is part of the billionaire dynasty that controls the massive conglomerate, which has been one of the key ‘hongs’ or business houses in the region since colonial times.
Chips’ older brother Henry is the current ‘Tai-pan’ or chairman of Jardine Matheson Holdings, and younger brother Simon and son Adam are on the board of directors.
Two planes flew banners over the Hawthorns stadium during Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat to West Brom on Saturday. One banner read “No contract #WengerOut” while the other read “In Arsene we trust #RespectAW”.
After the company which flew both banners revealed that Hong Kong-based Arsenal fans arranged the supportive one, that connection led to speculation among the club’s supporters that Keswick / Jardines were involved.