By Craig Resnik-Hanson, Sports Journalist
Former Arsenal striker and club legend Alan Smith has recently delighted fans by treating Erland Haaland’s Dad to some of his own medicine. According to Sporticos, the commentator blasted former Manchester City midfielder Alfe-Inge Haaland in response to a post on X the Norwegian put out about Gunners full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly.
This came after the father the Gunners hammered his former club and his son’s current club Manchester City 5-1.
The Controversial Celebration
The controversy began when Myles Lewis-Skelly mimicked Erling Haaland’s goal celebration during the Arsenal vs Manchester City match.
Alf-Inge Haaland didn’t seem to like that and responded by sharing an image of Lewis-Skelly’s celebration from Arsenal’s X account captioned ‘THIS TEAM’.
The Norwegian sarcastically commented: “This Team that wins everything. Ehhhhh, not,” referencing City’s consecutive Premier League title victories and Arsenal’s lengthy title drought.
However, this did not sit well with Alan Smith who was quick to respond on the Seaman Says podcast.
Sitting down with fellow Gunners icon David Seaman, former Gunners number 9 Alan Smith reminded Alf-Inge about his lack of major honours during his career and told him to ‘get back in his box’.
Haaland’s comments went like this:
“Haaland’s dad had a little chip, didn’t he? Saying ‘Oh yeah, all those trophies you’ve won,’ or something like that. I thought ‘Oh leave it’. It’s just funny! By the way Alf-Inge you didn’t win much! Back in your box. You can’t live your life through your son.”
He further added that these kinds of things are great moments in sports and should be taken lightly rather than sparking controversies.
The celebration debate rages on
The celebration by Myles Lewis-Skelly has sparked debate online and among TV pundits.
Tony Scholes, the Premier League chief football officer even weighed in, confirmed earlier this week that celebrations will be scrutinised moving forward with potential disciplinary action taken in certain cases.
While emotions often run high in sports like football, especially when competition is fierce and stakes are high, some have stated the importance of players and their families maintaining decorum both on-field and off-field.
This incident serves as a reminder to some that while banter can add spice to any sports event, respect should always be maintained towards all parties involved. The opposite can be dangerous when you have thousands of angry fans in a stadium.
