Arsenal threatened with boycott after owner Stan Kroenke launches sick TV channel in UK dedicated to trophy hunting
ARSENAL'S name is being dragged through the mud over the wrong kind of trophy hunting.
The Gunners' majority stakeholder Stan Kroenke has been slated for launching a TV and mobile channel in Britain that glorifies shooting endangered species.
American Kroenke, 70, faces a huge backlash over the poorly-judged move, with some fans threatening to boycott the club altogether with critics saying it glorifies blood sport.
In one clip of a hunt in Africa, a man is heard saying: "This is the most exciting hunt I have ever been on" as he shoots and kills a lion.
Another shows an elephant charging at a hunter before being shot twice as it stops and slumps to the ground, dead.
Outdoor TV star Ben Fogle called for supporters to abandon the club.
He tweeted: "Boycott @arsenal for these comments from #StanKroenke #elephantslaughter #boycottarsenal #americanpoacher."
The billionaire - who is worth £5.8bn - launched My Outdoor TV or 'MOTV' in the UK, which has been described as the "Netflix of the hunting world."
Costing £7.60 a month, the service also has an app, where viewers can watch on demand programmes on their smartphones.
Many shows on the channel celebrate expensive hunting trips in Africa, where elephants, lions, buffalo and leopards - at a time when some species are close to extinction.
Kroenke Sport Entertainment, which owns Outdoor Sportsman Group has successful launched MOTV in the United States and hopes for a similar appeal in the UK.
The channel's spokesman Simon Barr said: "If you like hunting elephants, there will be legal elephant hunts, ethical elephant hunts, shown in that context."
The hunting of deer and bear is legal during some times of the year in the US, although the rifle season for hunting deer, for example, is closely restricted to a few weeks a year.
And the UK has much tighter laws over firearms.
Kroenke has long divided Arsenal fans over his ownership, with many supporters believing keeps the purse strings too tightly closed.
Arsenal have some big names out of contract next summer, including Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.