LONDON: For a football league that prides itself on its worldwide popularity, it was a gesture that embodied the English Premier League’s global appeal.
The African-born, Muslim mayor of America’s most famed city performing Eid Al-Adha prayers wearing a specially designed Arsenal kurta.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani wore the item to celebrate his team recently winning the English Premier League during an Eid service in the city’s Bronx borough on Wednesday.
The images of the mayor performing prayers in the traditional kurta, made in Arsenal’s blue and red away colors, of course went viral.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives to take part in Eid Al-Adha prayers in the Bronx borough of New York wearing an Arsenal kurta on Wednesday. (Reuters)
That he donned the garment just weeks before the United States hosts the FIFA World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, made the images all the more powerful.
Mamdani first started supporting the north London club as a 10-year-old – around the time when the Gunners last won the league in the famed unbeaten 2003-04 season.
His uncle bought him a set of fridge magnets with the images of the team’s key players, including Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord.
After Arsenal’s title was confirmed last week, the 34-year-old mayor told GQ magazine: "It was a mixture of shock and there's just a wave of excitement that washes over you as you're processing, we've been waiting for this for so long, it didn't feel real.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends Eid Al-Adha prayers in the Bronx borough of New York wearing an Arsenal kurta on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Mamdani has also become heavily involved in the politics surrounding the World Cup, particularly taking a stand against the soaring cost of tickets.
Last week he announced that 1,000 tickets would be made available to New Yorkers at $50 each through a lottery system.
After the Eid prayers, Mamdani said sacrifice was not a burden but “an opportunity to see ourselves as part of something larger.”
“Together, we are working to ensure every New Yorker can afford the groceries, housing, and child care they need,” he said on X.
