Police in Uganda have arrested at least eight Arsenal fans in the city of Jinja after celebrating the club’s win against Manchester United in the English Premier League.
Arsenal defeated rival Manchester United in Sunday's match which saw Eddie Nketiah score a dramatic last-minute goal to give the gunners a 3-2 victory in the fierce match.
The result gave the Gunners a five-point lead at the top of the table, giving hope to fans around the world that the club could end its 19-year wait to win the English Premier League.
The Arsenal fans were traveling in a convoy of five vehicles on Monday morning when they were intercepted by police. One of them was carrying a trophy they had bought at a local store. Speaking on why the fans were arrested, the police said the Arsenal fans have no permit to carry out such a procession.
“I don’t know what we have done but we were simply celebrating our victory over rivals Manchester United,” Arsenal fan Baker Kasule is quoted as saying by the local Daily Monitor news site.
James Mubi, the regional police boss and a self-declared Arsenal fan, said dismissing the suggestion that the arrest was linked to the frequent arrest of members of an opposition party who also wear red.
In his words, "What would happen if an altercation with rival fans broke out? They did not inform the police to provide security for their procession.”
Arsenal and Manchester United enjoy huge support in Uganda, and across Africa, and when they play makeshift video halls in Uganda are always packed to the rafters.
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