Arsenal paid an emotional tribute to life president Ken Friar before Saturday’s Premier League game against Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
Following a video montage on the big screens, players from both sides joined in a period of applause in memory of Friar, who died aged 92 on October 13 after more than 80 years of service to the Gunners.
The matchday announcer described him as “undoubtedly one of the most significant figures in the history of our great club”, while Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “I think the legacy that Ken is going to leave to all of us is going to be forever.”
Friar’s family attended the match, and he featured on the front of the matchday programme. Photographs on the back showed him alongside Arsenal greats including Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, as well as world figures such as Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela.
In a tribute inside the programme, Wenger, who managed the Gunners from 1996 to 2018, said: “From the very first moment I met Ken Friar, I could feel that he represented the class and the tradition of the club. His heart was red and white.
“He would never preach or want to teach you lessons about the club, but he showed what it meant to be at Arsenal by his example and how he behaved. For me, he will always be ‘Mr Arsenal’, and I will miss him.”
The Ken Friar Bridge, which links the Emirates with Arsenal tube station and the site of the club’s former ground Highbury, was adorned with photographs of Friar, while floral tributes were laid at the nearby statue depicting him as a boy.
Born in Islington in August 1934, Friar was offered a job as a matchday messenger following a chance encounter with Arsenal manager George Allison while playing football with friends outside Highbury in 1945.
He became club secretary in 1973 and managing director in 1983 before later playing a leading role in the move to the Emirates in 2006. Friar remained on Arsenal’s board until stepping down as an executive director in 2020, when he became the club’s life president.