Watch: Arsenal legend and AFTV founder get in bitter row over controversial fan channel
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Arsenal legend Ray Parlour became embroiled in a fiery row with AFTV founder Robbie Lyle after he accused the fan channel of wanting the Gunners to lose.
In a week that has been dominated by the fallout following the collapse of the European Super League, the Arsenal Fan TV chief offered his opinions on the state of the club.
However, the YouTube personality was quickly dragged into a dispute with Parlour after he was invited onto the breakfast show on talkSPORT on Friday.
The interview quickly turned sour after Parlour accused the controversial channel of wanting the team to lose in order to get more hits.
AFTV has become a hugely divisive outlet due to the emotional reactions of the fans involved as the Gunners struggled in recent years, and Lyle took exception to Parlour turning the discussion to the YouTube channel.
‘I look at AFTV and say sometimes you’re quite an embarrassment to look at,’ Parlour said.
‘I look at AFTV and say sometimes you’re quite an embarrassment to look at,’ Parlour said.
‘As an Arsenal fan, I want to win every single game. I think sometimes you look at it and say, “well if they lose, we’ll get more hits this week, we’ll make more money.”‘
Lyle dismissed the suggestion as a heated row broke out between the pair, accusing Parlour of being ‘out of touch’.
‘Ray, with all due respect, you’re chatting rubbish,’ he said. ‘I want my team to win absolutely every game.
‘I know you’re very close to the club, and maybe you might find it difficult to speak out on this situation, but I’m saying to you that this is beyond performances on the pitch right now.
‘We’re talking about an owner who doesn’t care. I care about my club. I’ve supported this club since the 80s. But I don’t think these owners are suitable to run this club, simple as that.’
After Lyle tried to turn the attention back to under-fire Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, Parlour again labelled the channel ‘a bit of a laughing stock’.
He added: ‘I think people look at it and they crack up when they see you going mad outside the stadium. I’m so pleased you’re doing really well and it’s all great, don’t get me wrong. Because it’s all about business, it’s all about making money.’
Lyle hit back by comparing the former midfielder to unpopular club chief Kroenke, while Rio Ferdinand weighed in on the debate via his Twitter account.
The Manchester United legend challenged Parlour’s comments, suggesting that talkSPORT also benefitted in the last week due to the unrest at clubs amid the Super League fallout.