Richard Keys has had enough with celebrations

After more than two years living in a pandemic, it must be a sign of things going back to normal that people are blamed for being - too happy. Empty stadiums and fake crowd noises are still fresh in everyone’s memories as the most depressing time to be a football fan. Still, the joy of Arsenal supporters and players alike following the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Fulham was too much to bare for Richard Keys and Andy Gray.

The video has already almost 3 million views on Twitter at the time of writing this article. Gabriel dropped to his knees thanking the heavens for his redeeming late-game winner, Arteta hugged his assistant after preserving their 100% record at the top of the table, and Arsenal fans indulged in their new chant in honor of William Saliba. BeIN SPORTS’ Richard Keys was not having it: it was only Fulham, Arsenal were trailing (for a full 8 minutes) and only got back in the game thanks to a deflection and a scrappy goal.

FT: @Arsenal 2-1 @FulhamFC

"They're over celebrating this... It's a 2-1 win against newly promoted Fulham!"@richardajkeys & Andy Gray's reaction as the Gunners make it 4⃣ wins out of 4⃣#beINPL #ARSFUL 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/nIcZX6Ij1b

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) August 27, 2022

A long history of policing Arsenal

Needless to say, the comments have already received a lot of backlash. Apart from the grinch-like nature of Keys and Gray’s post-match reactions, the complete lack of respect towards a Fulham side that is already causing problems (they’re no Bournemouth), it’s the pundits’ lack of awareness that is particularly upsetting.

And yet it’s not the first time this year that the “Celebration Police” has targeted Arsenal. Ruben Neves did not appreciate the Gunners’ celebrations after their 1-0 dramatic win against Wolves back in February. Perhaps it is a symptom of the passion that Mikel Arteta tries to instill in his young squad, as was evident in the All or Nothing documentary.

The exuberant positivity at the Emirates is refreshing. Arsenal fans have needed a reason to celebrate in recent years and being top of the league is as good a reason as there is. As for the players, they may have “won nothing” as Keys reiterated, but fans do ask them to treat every game as a cup final and show the level of commitment that goes with it. Even when Arsenal did last win the big prize in their Invincible season, they were told not to celebrate at White Hart Lane. It did not stop them then, as Thierry Henry made sure, and I’m sure the comments won’t phase the players now.

I wonder what Keys would have said about these away fans I filmed back in 2012, who were losing 2-0 and decided to cheer each other up by celebrating…well, nothing.

The real Celebration Police is on Twitter

At least we can trust football fans to find the humor in anything! I particularly enjoy the “Premier League Celebration Police” account giving a voice to its hardworking agents:

Excellent piece here from Commissioner Keys @richardajkeys 👮🏻‍♂️ Also might be of interest to @FootballCliches (even if just the classic “nothing” of the tweet from Keysey) #celebrationpolice 👮🏻‍♂️🚨🚔 https://t.co/WvRkHYxRAM

— The Celebration Police (@PLCPolice) August 29, 2022