Arsenal will honour a club icon in their first Champions League home match of the season against Lille. The players will wear black armbands in memory of life president Ken Friar OBE, who has died aged 92.
Black armbands to honour Ken Friar
Arsenal and Lille have never previously met in European competition, although several players have featured for both clubs, including current stars Gabriel and Olivier Giroud. Mikel Arteta's side, who reached the final of the competition last season only to be beaten by French opposition Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, began their league phase campaign with a 1-0 win over Napoli last month.
Wearing black armbands is traditionally a sign of mourning, typically placed on a player's right arm, distinct from the captain's armband worn on the left sleeve. Friar's association with Arsenal spanned more than eight decades, beginning officially when he joined the club's box office in 1950.
Ken Friar's legacy at Arsenal
Friar became club secretary in 1973 and was appointed managing director ten years later, a role Arsenal described as "effectively running the football club". He played a leading part in overseeing Arsenal's move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium and received an OBE in 2000 for services to football. Four years later, he was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Islington.
After stepping down as executive director in 2020, Friar was appointed life president at Arsenal. The club said in a statement: "It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Life President Ken Friar OBE."
The statement continued: "He will never be forgotten by all those who knew him, be they players who he meticulously talked through a contract, members of the local council who he quietly but persuasively explained the club's value to the Borough, staff members who delighted in hearing his treasure trove of stories gleaned over many decades but most of all his family and close friends, who loved him for the kind, generous, wonderful father, grandad or friend that he was. Our thoughts are with Ken Friar's family and many friends at this difficult time."
