Why are Arsenal wearing an all-white kit vs Manchester United in the FA Cup? | OneFootball

Arsenal will wear their all-white kit, which supports the club’s campaign against knife crime and youth violence, in their FA Cup clash against Manchester United this weekend.

The Gunners take on United at the Emirates Stadium in the third round of the oldest cup competition in the world on Sunday afternoon and will be sporting an all-white kit for a fourth year in a row.

Arsenal’s normal home red-and-white kit will be “drained of red” as part of their ‘No More Red’ campaign that helps fight knife crime and youth violence on the streets of London.

They wore the kit for the first time in 2022 against Nottingham Forest before doing so again versus Oxford United a year later and then for the first time at home against Liverpool last January – all in the third round of the FA Cup

The Gunners’ record when wearing the white kit stands at two losses and just a solitary win after they were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool 12 months ago, suffered a shock defeat to Forest in the first fixture and hammered Oxford 3-0 in 2023.

The ‘No More Red’ campaign in in conjunction with Arsenal kit manufacturers Adidas and the Gunners women’s side will also sport the all-white strip in their Women’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Bristol City, having done so for the first time against Watford last January.

While the gesture is part of the club’s work to help keep young people safe from knife crime and youth violence, they have always stated that the white shirts will never be sold commercially, and instead are awarded to volunteers who give their time and skills to Arsenal’s charitable partners.

Arsenal beat Oxford the first time they wore their white kit (Getty Images)

Freddie Hudson, head of Arsenal in the Community, said: “No More Red provides a unique opportunity to highlight four decades of our local community work that has helped to keep thousands of young people safe.

“Young people face multiple challenges as they grow up in today’s world and we don’t have all the answers, but we are confident that by acting together and shining a light on the support network available across our community, we can make a significant contribution to the lives of our participants.”

The Gunners are trying to win the FA Cup for a record-extending 15th time this season, with their most recent victory coming in 2020, when Mikel Arteta picked up his first trophy as manager.

They currently lie second in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand, but have stumbled in the past week with a 1-1 draw against Brighton last weekend and a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg in midweek.

The United fixture gives Arteta’s men a chance to get back on track before a north London derby against Tottenham on Wednesday.