Arsenal fans demanded to return the dismissed mascot to work

As part of a campaign to cut costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic at London's Arsenal, Jerry Quai, who has worn a club mascot costume nicknamed Gunnerzaurus for 27 years, was laid off.

The Gunners have been one of the worst-hitting Premier League clubs affected by the coronavirus, as fans traditionally make a significant contribution to their budget.

After the stands were closed, the need for the services of a mascot disappeared.

Kuai's departure really upset Arsenal fans as he was popular.

Jerry himself is so devoted to the team that he once missed his brother's wedding to attend a home game.

During the quarantine period, Quai kept the Gunnerzaurus costume at his home, donning it during Zoom video chats with fans.

The fans did not accept the decision of the club's management and declared their readiness to seek the return of the mascot to the workplace.

For comparison, many cited the salary of Mesut Ozil, who this season lost his place in the main team of Arsenal, but still receives £ 350 thousand a week.

The situation was noticed in other clubs.

“Justice for Gannerzavr” was demanded even in Moscow “Spartak”.

And the management of another red-and-white club - Sevilla - not only supported the mascot, but also hired him.

But the story did not end there.

Following the announcement of the Spanish club, Mesut Özil posted a post in Twiiter in which he defended Gannerosaurus.

The German midfielder said he was annoyed at the cut of the mascot and offered to refund Kuai's full salary as long as he plays for Arsenal.

I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous & loyal mascot @Gunnersaurus and integral part of our club was being made redundant after 27 years.

As such, I'm offering to reimburse @Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player ... pic.twitter.com/IfWN38x62z

- Mesut Özil (@ MesutOzil1088) October 6, 2020

Israel national team player joins Arab club for the first time

27-year-old attacking midfielder Dia Saba became the first Israeli footballer in history to sign a contract with a club from an Arab state (Saba himself was born into an Arab family and professes Islam).

At the end of September, the Israeli national team player moved from the Chinese "Guangzhou" to the Dubai "Al-Nasr".

This became possible thanks to the agreement signed on September 15 on the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE.

Saba's agreement with multiple national champions is for two seasons.

It is reported that the legionnaire will receive $ 2 million a year, not counting the bonus.

📝: العميد يتعاقد مع صانع الألعاب ضياء محمد سبع https://t.co/bfpIOLbXkp# نادي_النصر

- AL-NASR FC (@ALNasrSC) September 27, 2020

German Super Cup banned in Iran due to female judge

Iran has banned the broadcast of the German Super Cup match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The reason that embarrassed local TV people was that the meeting was served by a female referee, Bibiana Steinhaus, who would appear in the frame in shorts above the knees, which is not welcome according to local customs.

The match at the Allianz Arena was the last in the refereeing career of a police captain from Hanover.

She went down in history as the first female chief referee in Germany, although Gertrude Gebhart worked as a line referee at the Bundesliga games back in the 1990s.

Footballers spoke out against homophobia, the President of Germany presented the order to a gay player

A case of homophobia was reported in the USLC, the second-tier division of North American football after the MLS.

San Diego Loyal players left the field early in the second half against Phoenix Rising after one of the opponents insulted their partner Collin Martin, who did not hide his belonging to sexual minorities.

The meeting did not continue, although the athlete, accused of inappropriate statements, resolutely dismissed all attacks against him.

A week earlier, a Los Angeles Galaxy II player had let himself be spoken of with racist overtones at another Loyal player, Elijah Martin.

The team then showed solidarity with its team-mate, and the culprit was almost immediately expelled from the team.

In turn, the former German national team player Thomas Hitzlsperger, who called himself gay in 2014, received the Order of Merit from the hands of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“We are honoring the former football player of the national team, the champion of Germany with Stuttgart, who broke a taboo by coming out and fought for many years against homophobia, sexism and racism in stadiums and clubs,” the head of state said.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch, @ThomasHitz!



Der #VfB Stuttgart gratuliert seinem Vorstandsvorsitzenden Thomas #Hitzlsperger herzlich zur Verleihung des Bundesverdienstkreuzes.

pic.twitter.com/6B4VPMBW7C

- VfB Stuttgart (@VfB) October 1, 2020

Police broke up neo-Nazi competition

The German police raided an MMA tournament organized by right-wing radicals The interest of law enforcement agencies was caused by a competition in one of the biker clubs in Magdeburg.

It is reported that about 140 employees took part in the operation.

By the time the police arrived, 90 people were present in the building.

The police asked them to disperse and confiscated the ring.

As it turned out, the organizing of the show was the promotion company Kampf der Nibelungen, well known for holding MMA fights among the ultra-right.

The tournament, terminated by the police, was announced as the first after a similar event was banned in 2019 due to suspicions of a number of participants in extremism.

Panarin drove across Russia

The New York Rangers forward Artemy Panarin traveled from St. Petersburg to his native Korkino of the Chelyabinsk Region by train during his vacation.

The journey took the hockey player 40 hours.

He took instant noodles, sausages, sandwiches and vegetables with him on the road.

Panarin decided to refuse strong alcohol on the way.

The forward spoke in detail about his trip on Instagram and caused a real stir among admirers of his talent from the Russian regions.

Fans greeted Panarin at the stations, treated and presented gifts.

In Kirov, the NHL star was handed a three-liter can of beer, and more serious alcoholic beverages appeared on the table of the luxury compartment.

“We have pastries.

In short, we’ll probably miss the next stop along the way.

It will be difficult to get out.

They took the cat, ”Panarin shared with his subscribers.

In the end, the athlete was very tired and did not go to the platform in Kungur.

At the Chelyabinsk train station, he was met by relatives and friends.

View this post on Instagram

Publication from Artemiy Panarin (@artemiypanarin) 27 Sep 2020 at 7:23 PDT