Hector Bellerin criticises 'so wrong' Arsenal Fan TV for 'feeding off failure'

Hector Bellerin has entered the debate about the value of supporter-led channels by describing ArsenalFanTV as "so wrong" in a guest appearance at the Oxford Union.

YouTube channels like ArsenalFanTV have achieved fame and notoriety over the last few years for their attention-grabbing videos, which has led to criticism from many within the game.

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Gary Neville labelled the channel "embarrassing" last year before agreeing to appear on it to explain his comments and discuss the state of Arsene Wenger's team.

Arsenal right-back Bellerin said of ArsenalFanTV, which has more than 650,000 subscribers and whose guests have included midfielders Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla: “I don't think there's players who go on the internet to watch ArsenalFanTV.

“It does sometimes pop up on your timeline. I see it sometimes, some friends say ‘oh have you heard what that guy on Arsenal Fan TV said.’

“It’s so wrong for someone who claims to be a fan and their success is fed off a failure. How can that be a fan? It's just people hustling, trying to make money their way, which everyone is entitled to do.

“For us players it doesn’t affect us. If they want to have fun with it then have fun. When you grow you realise what is important to you to take [on board].

“If a coach comes to me and says you’ve done something bad I’m going to take that advice. If someone from ArsenalFanTV says this guy needs to do this or that I’m not going to listen to him.

“They're entitled to their opinion and the way they want to do it. If people find it funny then go watch it.”

Suggestions that ArsenalFanTV is an attempt to make money or deliberately provoke irritates the founder Robbie Lyle, who gave up a lucrative career as a surveyor to set up the channel.

In an interview with the Telegraph in 2016, Lyle said: “Showing the importance of fans, who are the most neglected part of the game, is what we’re about.

“They don’t have to be a big star, they don’t have to have 100,000 followers on Twitter to appear on the channel. But they have just as much right because they go every week and that’s the purpose of what we do.”

Bellerin was part of the Arsenal team that beat Ostersunds 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday night, while Lyle watched the match from the stands.