Arsenal captain, Granit Xhaka has come out to explain his reason for being disrespectful to fans, saying it got to a ‘boiling point’ after receiving series of abusive messages from fans, from threats to kill his wife, breaking his legs to wishing his child got cancer
In a statement released on Arsenal’s twitter handle on behalf of Xhaka, the Swiss explained his anger leading to his actions after being substituted against Crystal Palace. It reads; “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 always give 100 per cent on and off the pitch.
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“My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and in 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’.
“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 that’s what people thought.
“My wish is that we get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with this game in the first place.
“Let’s move forward positively together.”
Xhaka has come under fire after he muttered ‘Fu*k off’ at Arsenal fans as a result of being booed when he was substituted against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Due to his fragile mental health, the club would not take up any disciplinary actions against him as sources at the Emirates confirmed he has become increasingly dejected by the abuse he has received in recent weeks, both on the pitch and on social media leading to deleting his Arsenal profile photo on Instagram.
The midfielder’s wife Leonita Lekaj, who has 202,000 Instagram followers, has also been forced to change her privacy settings on her social media accounts as a result of constant threats and abuse from Arsenal fans. She gave birth to their first child early this October.
Xhaka was out of action against Liverpool in the Carabao cup. It is now left for coach Unai Emery to decide if he continues as captain of the club.
