Did Arsenal get the logo wrong on the new away kit?

Ten days ago Arsenal launched the new away kit, bringing to light the colors and simplicity that belonged in 1971 to the team that managed to win the first Double in the history of the Gunners. But if on the one hand the shirt - which has already made its debut in the match won against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park - has convinced most of the fans, on the other there is a detail that has not gone unnoticed. The away kit, in addition to the characteristic Pearl Citrine, has focused heavily on the official return of the cannon on an official game shirt. Having attracted much of the attention, it is the cannon that raises some doubts.

The last appearance on a shirt dates back to 1991, while on shorts it will be reviewed until 2002 before officially returning 20 years later. On both occasions, however, the cannon points to the left while that of the 2021-22 season points to the right, in the opposite direction.

A potential mistake that has infuriated the many Gunners fans linked to the symbol and meaning of the cannon on social networks. To understand what lies behind this hypothetical oversight, however, we need to analyze the history of the Arsenal logo. The cannon has always been present in the Arsenal crest, except for the period from 1936 to 1949. Initially pointed towards the other, the three cannons of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century became one in 1922, when the gun pointed towards right. But the troubled history of the Arsenal logo - made up of immense legal battles over copyright - has forced the club to change it many times. From 1925 to the final rebranding in 2002, the logo will change eight times and in the latest version the cannon faces east.

The new 2002 logo comes from the need to create a new crest protection after the long legal battle - which reached the Court of Appeal - which saw on one side the London club and on the other Matthew Reed, a salesman of gadget that had used the Arsenal brand. The fact that the cannon now points to the right and not to the left as it was until 2002 stems from a complicated issue of copyright and the inability to use a logo that no longer belongs to Arsenal Football Club.

While it may actually seem like a mistake, the return of the cannon in a different direction is the result of a legal matter. Many have allowed themselves to be misled by the position of the cannon, neglecting the bureaucratic process and the regulation behind a logo.