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There are predictable responses to Arsenal\u2019s Champions League semi-final win against Atletico Madrid, but a welcome shift in the tone of the coverage of those responses.<\/p>\n
And there\u2019s even more good news for Arsenal \u2013 although all is not as it seems in the latest supercomputer-generated final Premier League table.<\/p>\n
And there are apparently still a few drops of content to be wrung out of desperately pretending Casemiro might be about to do a u-turn on his Man United future.<\/p>\n
Mediawatch notices a subtle yet welcome shift in the broad tone of coverage around Arsenal\u2019s celebrations after they narrowly beat an elite European team to reach the actual Champions League final<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The tone is much, much more one of policing those policing said celebrations than of indulging in celebration policing itself.<\/p>\n This is enormously welcome. Celebration policing is always bad, mean-spirited and joyless. It is usually also disingenuous. Especially if it\u2019s prefaced with \u2018I don\u2019t like the Celebration Police but\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n Your views on disapproving of the Celebration Police are, really, like those on approving of free speech. If your position changes because you don\u2019t care for who\u2019s involved, you were never really on board.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to enjoy the sight of Arsenal celebrating as they reach the Champions League final, but you must defend to the death their right to do it, basically.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t, for instance, say you hate the Celebration Police right up until the moment Xavi Simons scores a brilliant goal in a huge game for Spurs after a hugely difficult and frustrating season, mentioning no podcasts.<\/p>\n Luckily for Mediawatch, this is one issue where our conscience is entirely clear. We have never and will never back Celebration Policing. Dreary sorts behaving drearily, always.<\/p>\n And while it isn\u2019t always Arsenal on the receiving end, it is for myriad reasons Arsenal on the receiving end in a disproportionate number of instances.<\/p>\n We are supremely confident that had, say, Man United reached the Champions League final they would a) have celebrated precisely in the righteously giddy and excited manner Arsenal did and b) attracted no opprobrium from Wayne Rooney for doing so<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey deserve to be in this position but they haven\u2019t won it yet,\u201d he buzzkilled on Prime straight after one of the biggest European nights in Arsenal\u2019s history. \u201cI think the celebrations are a little bit too much. Celebrate when you win!\u201d<\/p>\n They did win, Wayne. It\u2019s the usual old sh*te that shouldn\u2019t even merit serious analysis. The idea that absolutely nothing short of winning the actual Champions League itself is worthy of celebration is so preposterous it should be ignored or mocked.<\/p>\n Previously, though, Mediawatch has seen plenty of po-faced reporting of similar Celebration Police findings. We\u2019re delighted to report the Mirror<\/strong> have taken the mocking route today and we are entirely here for it.<\/p>\n CALL THE CELEBRATION POLICE! Rooney takes aim at Arsenal and says reaction to reaching Champions League final was a \u2018little much\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The standfirst warms further to the theme.<\/p>\n Arsenal made it a famous night at the Emirates as they beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to reach the Champions League final \u2013 and the celebration police were soon out in force<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n More of this kind of thing. Keep it up until all members of the Celebration Police have to acknowledge who and what they are whenever and wherever they engage in it.<\/p>\n Everyone else, meanwhile, can carry on celebrating joyously and righteously when good things happen to their teams. It\u2019s easy to forget yet vital we don\u2019t: this is football and it is supposed to be fun.<\/p>\n As Ian Wright put it in a suitably jubilant social media video last night:<\/p>\n\n
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