Arsenal fans and Mesut Ozil once hit back at the club after surprise Gunnersaurus sacking

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The long history of Arsenal has seen plenty of times where the club and the fans don’t quite see eye to eye.

Whether that was the departure of Arsene Wenger or the signing of some players, it’s not easy to always line up with the fanbase.

There was one such occasion, however, where the fans felt the need to stand up to the Arsenal hierarchy over a beloved figure at the club.

That being the dismissal of the mascot, Gunnersaurus, who has been a beloved part of the club since 1994.

His exit in 2020, as part of the changes ongoing at Arsenal, came with plenty of backlash that united the fans and Mesut Ozil towards one cause.

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How Arsenal fans and Mesut Ozil helped get Gunnersaurus back after sacking

During 2020, as part of cost-cutting measures related to global issues at the time, Arsenal made several redundancies within the business.

That included an exit for Gunnersaurus after nearly 30 years at the club.

Jerry Quy, who had played the role since the very beginning, was dismissed, and it caused plenty of outrage.

“#JusticeForGunnersaurus” started trending online, as fans demanded that the Arsenal icon make a return to the club.

This even extended to the players, as Mesut Ozil came out in defence of the mascot.

Taking to social media, the playmaker offered to pay for Gunnersaurus’s wages, claiming: “I was so sad that Jerry Quy, aka our famous and loyal mascot Gunnersaurus and integral part of our club, was being made redundant after 27 years.

“As such, I’m offering to reimburse Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player so Jerry can continue his job that he loves so much.”

In the end, the club buckled and ended up bringing Quy back as one of several people who fill the cast of Gunnersaurus.

Having become an integral part of the matchday experience, it’s one of the few occasions where the football was put on the back burner.

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Who is Arsenal’s mascot, Gunnersaurus

Being Gunnersaurus comes with plenty of responsibility, as the mascot has to look after and entertain people at Arsenal matches.

The concept came to life in 1994, after a contest saw one young fan draw up the idea for Gunnersaurus Rex.

In the end, the iconic costume was made and Jerry Quy took on the role for 27 years at the club.

“I never felt like it was a job doing Gunnersaurus,” he revealed to The Athletic in 2024.

“It was an honour. I would’ve carried on doing it voluntarily forever. It was my privilege.”

There was frustration when he was let go in 2020, as he added: “I was upset and disappointed.

“I just wanted a handshake, for somebody to say, ‘Well, 26 years of Gunnersaurus, you did a good job’, but I didn’t get that from anybody at Arsenal.”

In the end, his return came with a whole cast of others taking on the role, with the character still playing a prominent part at Arsenal matches.