Arsenal captain, Granit Xhaka has explained the reason for his actions against Gunners fans after he was subbed off vs Crystal Palace.
Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip for another game this season, drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace yesterday the same way they did vs Watford earlier this season.
Xhaka was booed by fans when he reacted poorly to being substituted by throwing his armband and getting off the pitch slowly. He also cupped his ear to the crowd and swore at the supporters before he ripped his shirt and stormed down the tunnel.
Reacting on Twitter, he said the way he is misunderstood by Arsenal fans hurts him deeply.
He then admitted that he also got carried away during the incident.
His words, “After taking some time to reflect on what happened on Sunday afternoon, I would like to give you an explanation rather than just a quick response,”
“The scenes that took place around my substitution have moved me deeply. I love this club and have always given 100 per cent on and off the pitch.”
“My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and on social media over the last weeks and months have hurt me deeply,”
“People have said things like ‘We will break your legs,’ ‘kill your wife’ and ‘wish that your daughter gets cancer’. That has stirred me up and I reached boiling point when I felt the rejection in the stadium on Sunday.
“In this situation I let myself be carried away and reacted in a way that disrespected the group of fans that support our club, our team and myself with positive energy. That has not been my intention and I’m sorry if it’s what people thought. ”
“My wish is that we get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with the game in the first place. Let’s move positively forward together.”
The question now is will Xhaka be allowed to play vs Wolves and will he remain captain?
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