West Ham United have cancelled an appearance by Ray Parlour as a host for their fixture against Arsenal in the wake of a number of complaints from supporters.
The 53-year-old former Arsenal midfielder hails from a family full of Romford-based Hammers, but is widely known as an Arsenal legend. Parlour was on the north Londoners' books for 15 years as a player.Therefore when it was recently confirmed West Ham were promoting him as a host for the forthcoming meeting with the Gunners in Stratford, the move was met with criticism from sections of the West Ham fanbase.
Supporters questioned why a former Arsenal player - especially one so closely tied to their London rivals - would be provided a platform at West Ham's final London derby of the season, a fixture that carries considerable significance for both teams.
However on Wednesday evening, at a meeting with supporters the club's new temporary CEO, Karim Virani confirmed plans to hire Parlour for this weekend's London derby had been shelved in the wake of the recent furore.
Although an explanation is yet to be offered by the club, the cancellation suggests that Karren Brady's successor personally responded to the backlash. KUMB understands members of the Fan Advisory Board were generally impressed by the CEO's debut appearance.
Parlour, affectionately nicknamed the “Romford Pelé,” spent over a decade and won multiple major honours with Arsenal, including three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
The offending advertisement
His identity as a lifelong Arsenal figure makes him a popular media personality but also a controversial choice in certain contexts — particularly when involved in events connected to rival clubs.
The incident resembles another embarrassing marketing failure by West Ham United's current regime back in 2014, when the club advertised a forthcoming home match against Manchester City with the slogan "Come and watch Manchester's City's superstars!".
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