Former Arsenal left-back Armand Traore has revealed he was arrested after taking a knuckle-duster to a north London derby while playing for the Gunners. The 28-year-old, now at Nottingham Forest, spent 10 hours in a police cell after officers found the weapon on him at White Hart Lane.
Traore, who joined Arsenal as a teenager, said he was influenced by violent scenes he had witnessed at matches in France. 'I was only 17 and I had just started playing for Arsenal's first-team. I had these images in my mind. I went to the north London derby but I was convinced someone might recognise me,' he told the Daily Mirror.
'I thought if a Spurs fan did, then I needed to be ready if something happened. So I had a knuckle-duster in my pocket — which was just stupid. As I walked into the stadium, the police found it on me and I ended up in custody for more than 10 hours. I didn't see a ball kicked.'
The Senegalese international also recalled a frightening experience while playing for Juventus, when Napoli fans chased the team bus on mopeds, crashing into parked cars. 'It was madness,' he said.
Traore, who has also played for Paris Saint-Germain and Queens Park Rangers, now faces a different kind of derby passion this Sunday when Nottingham Forest take on Derby County. 'The two sets of fans really hate each other,' he said of the East Midlands clash.
