John Bercow has called for Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke to leave the club and shared his 'utter disgust' at the American's decision to join the European Super League.
Arsenal and the rest of the Premier League's 'Big Six' announced they had signed up to the breakaway competition on Sunday before deciding to pull-out after a severe backlash from fans.
The former Speaker of the House of Commons, who is a long-standing supporter of the Gunners, told Arsenal Fan TV that it was time for the 73-year-old owner to depart.
'Politicians are sometimes accused of sitting on the fence and not answering the question and failing to say what they really think. If you’re asking me what I’m thinking about it, my feeling is one of utter disgust.
'Do I personally think Mr Kroenke has any credibility after all this? The honest answer is no. I’m with Ian Wright, Kroenke out. I think he should go,' he said.
'I think that he has long been deeply unpopular with fans. What I am unhappy about is that I’ve never felt he’s passionate about football, still less that he’s passionate about Arsenal.
'He seems to be passionate about making money, about shareholder return. What matters to fans is the club and having some respect for the history of the club.'
Arsenal issued an apology in an open letter to supporters after announcing they would be withdrawing from the Super League, but Bercow insisted it was too little too late.
'He has shown complete disrespect. I’m glad that Arsenal have now withdrawn and I’m glad that the club has issued an apology but it’s pretty late in the day for a simple apology.
'The attitude of the owner of Arsenal has been one of arrogance, insensitivity and contempt for fans. That contempt for fans has caused him to be held in contempt by fans.
'If you love football, you recognise that one of the most cardinal principles of football is fair competition. The idea that you create a new league based on the power of the purse and you designate a set of clubs and say “you’re in, you can’t go down, you’re not going to be relegated and you won’t be moved because you’ve paid your fee” is the antithesis of what people in competitive sport hold dear.
'As much as I love my club, and I’ve supported Arsenal passionately since 1971, Arsenal wouldn’t even deserve to be in such a European Super League.'
In the open letter the club sent to fans, the club admitted they had made a mistake.
Part of the letter read: 'As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologise for it.
'We know it will take time to restore your faith in what we are trying to achieve here at Arsenal but let us be clear that the decision to be part of the Super League was driven by our desire to protect Arsenal, the club you love, and to support the game you love through greater solidarity and financial stability.
'Stability is essential for the game to prosper and we will continue to strive to bring the security the game needs to move forward.'