Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka jeered by own fans, makes rude gesture

In an unfortunate and tense incident at the North London club, Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka was jeered off the pitch by Arsenal fans when he was being substituted in the second half during the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace. The incident took place in the 61st minute of the match when the Arsenal manager Unai Emery decided to take the defensive midfielder off the pitch and introduced young striker Bukayo Saka.

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The incident

At the time of the incident, the scoreline read 2-2 after Arsenal squandered a two-goal lead which they had secured early on in the match. Xhaka's squad number flashed on the assistant's board and as he, in a disappointed manner, walked to the touchline, there were a few boos, which angered the Swiss international even more. As a reply, Xhaka raised both his hands and signalled the fans to increase the boos and also, in retaliation, mouthed an abuse to the fans. Understandably, the reaction of the fans increased even more and Xhaka cupped his hands to his ears as the boos rang around the Emirates Stadium. As he went off the pitch, Xhaka took of the Arsenal jersey and went straight into the tunnel. 

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Emery was asked about the reaction in the post-match press conference and he admitted that the recently appointed Arsenal captain's behaviour was wrong and that he will be speaking to him and also that there will be discussions within the club. The Head Coach said, "He was wrong. Now we need to stay calm and speak with him, to speak inside about that reaction. We are working, me and the club, inside with every player to manage playing under pressure. We need to be clever in our minds and create habits under pressure for our minds to be clearer." When asked if Xhaka will be stripped off the captaincy, Emery said that it was not the right time to speak about the issue and that a decision will be taken after a discussion within the club.

Xhaka joined the club in the summer of 2016 and has since been a regular in the Arsenal team, but has also been extremely error-prone during matches. Emery, who has implemented a five captain policy at Arsenal had Xhaka as a part of the group last season and this year, he asked the squad to pick the main captain and the rest of the leadership group. Xhaka was elected as the captain of the team while the rest of the leadership group comprised of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil.

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