Arsenal manager says he ‘would love to have a full stadium’ after win over AC Milan
Singapore’s 55,000-seater National Stadium was only about half full when English Premier League runners-up Arsenal played Italian giants AC Milan in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday (23 July), leaving some fans surprised and disappointed.
Following the 1-0 victory for the Gunners, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta addressed the visibly sparse crowd during his post-match press conference, a video of which was uploaded on YouTube.
Source: Mackk2p on Tiktok
Arsenal fans always supportive: Arteta
When asked about the atmosphere during the match, he said:
Yeah. I would love to have a full stadium. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case.
However, he thanked the Arsenal fans who have “always been extremely supportive”, adding:
Hopefully, the next game, gonna be more [supporters].
Screenshot from HaytersTV on YouTube
‘Why did Arsenal travel all the way to Singapore just to play in an empty stadium?’
While Arteta did not comment on the possible reasons behind the turnout, social media was abuzz with speculation, with several fans pointing to the cost of attending the match.
After photos of the half-filled venue circulated widely online, Britain’s The Sun selected a few choice posts on social media. One fan asked:
Is it a behind-closed-doors game? Why is nobody in the stands?
Photo courtesy of MS News reader
Others were more humorous in their approach.
“I knew Arsenal weren’t a big club, but I didn’t realise they were this small? Look how empty the stadium is,” another fan wrote.
Still, others expressed confusion, with a user questioning:
Why did Arsenal travel all the way to Singapore just to play in an empty stadium?
Local sports portal TMSG posted an Instagram meme of the half-empty stadium captioned, “Embarrassing innit?”
Source: @tmsg01 on Instagram
Crowd was small compared with previous high-profile matches
This was not the first time a high-profile international club has played at the National Stadium, but in past years, other matches have drawn significantly larger crowds.
For example:
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace in July 2022: 50,217
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich in August 2023: 49,983
Singapore’s national team vs South Korea in June 2024: 49,097
Liverpool’s clash with Leicester City in July 2023: 28,597
Singapore vs China in March 2025: 28,414
In contrast, just 22,813 fans attended the most recent Arsenal and AC Milan fixture.
This is believed to be the second-lowest for a pre-season fixture featuring European club sides, according to The Straits Times.
Those who turned up saw England star Bukayo Saka scoring the only goal of the game early in the second half, converting a cross from Jakub Kiwior.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Football Festival
Some fans blame ticket prices
The low turnout has prompted some to wonder whether ticket prices played a role in discouraging attendance.
According to online feedback on Reddit, many fans felt that tickets for the Arsenal game were priced too high compared with those of other international friendlies.
Source: Reddit
Others mentioned how this match, besides being expensive, was on a weekday night in the middle of the week, making it difficult for working adults to watch it.
Source: Reddit
According to the Sports Hub’s website, the cheapest tickets for the upcoming Arsenal vs Newcastle game on Sunday (27 July) are S$108, not including the S$4 booking fee.
The most expensive are VIP Lounge tickets at S$888 each, with even restricted view tickets costing between S$198 and S$288.
Arteta happy with team’s performance
Despite the attendance, Arteta was upbeat about the team’s performance and the energy from those who did attend.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Football Festival
“We’re all very happy with the performance, especially with the attitude, the quality, the determination that we showed throughout the game,” he said in response to questions about Saka’s performance.
He was also satisfied with the performance of the four young academy graduates who got some playing time in the match, saying:
It’s incredible how, at 15 years old, they can perform at that level.
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Featured image courtesy of MS News reader and screenshot from HaytersTV on YouTube.
