It started as a joke. Or maybe it started as a delusion. Either way, it spread like wildfire.
A fake press release began circulating on social media claiming that the Botswana government had declared a public holiday for Arsenal fans to celebrate the club’s Premier League triumph. The document looked official. It had the government stamp. It even quoted President Duma Boko offering congratulations.
It was all fake. 
The fabricated statement claimed that Arsenal supporters in Botswana should take Wednesday, May 20, off work. Employers were allegedly urged to “foster a spirit of unity and celebration”. A nice thought. Completely made up.
The Botswana government did what any self-respecting government would do. They logged onto X and shut it down.
“NO, THERE IS NO HOLIDAY FOR ARSENAL FANS,” the official account posted, stamping a giant red “FAKE” across the circulating document.
The Internet Reacts
The reactions came fast and furious.
One user, clearly unimpressed by the whole spectacle, wrote: “This is misplaced priorities. You should be focusing on improving the economy, not responding to an AI-generated image.”
Fair point. But here we are.
Then came the Arsenal fans. Bless their hearts.
“You are a disgrace to Africa!” one wrote. “Every Arsenal fan around the world deserves a long holiday until the end of May.”
Until the end of May. That is not a holiday. That is early retirement.
Another user, possibly still in shock from the government’s bluntness, simply commented: “I felt that ‘NO'”.
The Impact Is Mental
But the most revealing reaction came from someone who stepped back and looked at the bigger picture.
“The level of impact of this rumor for a statement to be issued says a lot about the Arsenal fanbase,” another user observed.
Think about it. A government had to issue a formal denial. About a fake holiday. For a football club that is not even from their continent. That is not a rumor. That is a movement.
@AlfredThongs put it best: “So people actually spread the rumor to the level that a statement had to be issued. Arsenal impact is mental!!!”
Mental is one word for it.
Why People Believed It
To be fair, the rumor was not completely out of nowhere. Botswana has a history of declaring holidays for sporting achievements. They declared a public holiday after the men’s 4x400m relay team won gold at the World Athletics Championships. They also announced a half-day holiday after Letsile Tebogo won Olympic gold in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Games.
A holiday for Arsenal? In the grand scheme of things, not the wildest thing the internet has ever believed.
Still Wild Though.
SEE ALSO: Chike, Davido, Boniface, Odumodu Lead Celebrations as Arsenal End 22-Year Title Drought
The Bottom Line
Let this be a lesson in the dangers of too much hope.
Some Arsenal fan somewhere saw their team finally win the league after years of near-misses. And instead of just celebrating, they thought: “You know what would make this better? If an entire African country gave everyone a day off.”
They opened Canva, found a government template, typed up a press release. And then posted it.
For a few glorious hours, thousands of people believed that Botswana truly cared about Bukayo Saka’s left foot.
The government had to wake up and say: No.
No holiday. No day off. Go back to work.
Not withstanding, Arsenal won the league. That is its own holiday. Just not a government-approved one.
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