By all accounts, it was a rough 2020 for Arsenal fan James Butler. The Gunners suffered their worst start to a top-flight season in 46 years. Worse was to come though for the 36-year-old Singapore permanent resident, after he learnt that his father William’s cancer had relapsed back in Hertfordshire, England.
To complicate matters further, the coronavirus pandemic has made travelling difficult, especially when his Singaporean wife Tricia Li is due next month.
Some good news finally arrived thanks to the Premier League club and their shirt sponsor Emirates.
Last month, Butler thought he was on a video call with Arsenal’s pitch-side presenter Nigel Mitchell to share his personal story, when the latter called for technical support. A few moments later, goalkeeper Bernd Leno and midfielder Granit Xhaka popped up on the screen, leaving Butler and Li stunned.
Butler, a marketing director at a cyber security firm, told The Straits Times on Saturday: “The video call did lag so calling for tech support sounded legit, and I wasn’t expecting players, much less two first-team players, to come on.
“I was shocked, but in a very happy and positive way.”
The surprise was part of Emirates’ initiative with partner clubs Arsenal, Real Madrid and AC Milan to engage with communities around the world.
Butler was nominated by the Arsenal Singapore Supporters Club and the Butlers also received Emirates flight and match tickets to watch the Gunners.
“Normally, my parents would fly out here once every year, and they would have definitely come to see their first grandchild,” he said. “The good news is that my dad is getting better with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. We are very thankful for the surprise and are looking forward to bringing our baby to visit my mum and dad soon.”
Arsenal also entered the new year on a high after ending their seven-game winless streak by beating Chelsea 3-1 and followed up with away wins at Brighton (1-0) and West Bromwich (4-0).
Butler, a Gunners fan for 30 years, said: “There have been ups and downs, but we stick with them through thick and thin.
“Bernd and Granit said they have a lot of respect for fans in Singapore who stay up to watch them play and asked for continued support, and we will do just that.”