‘Utter disgrace’: Arsenal fans fume after captain Xhaka 'tells own supporters to f*ck off' before ripping off shirt (VIDEO)
Arsenal fans and club captain Granit Xhaka engaged in all-out animosity with each other during the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace as Xhaka appared to tell supports to "f*ck off" before ripping off his shirt.
Arsenal squandered a 2-0 lead at the Emirates as goals inside the opening 10 minutes from Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz were cancelled out by a penalty from Luka Milivojević and a second-half strike from Jordan Ayew.
Amid a febrile atmosphere at the Emirates, fans vented their anger at club captain Xhaka as he was substituted by manager Unai Emery just after the hour mark.
The Swiss international midfielder was making his way off the pitch to a chorus of jeers before he stoked tensions by raising his arms and then cupping his hand to his ear in defiance, also appearing to shout "f*ck off." He then took off his shirt and stormed straight down the tunnel.
Xhaka offering on the whole Emirates, cupping his ear, telling the fans to fuck off, taking his shirt off and walking down the tunnel.
— Elliot Hackney (@ElliotHackney) October 27, 2019
The Arsenal captain.... ???? pic.twitter.com/j57XFm3LxQ
The scenes caused instant anger among Arsenal fans online, many of whom – including high-profile supporter Piers Morgan – branded the midfielder a “disgrace” for his actions.
Wow. Xhaka subbed for another poor performance - so responds by telling Arsenal fans to ‘f*ck off’, ripping his shirt off & storming down the tunnel.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 27, 2019
And this is supposed to be our CAPTAIN?
What an absolute disgrace.
He should be stripped of the captaincy tonight. #afc pic.twitter.com/iCGxOl9scv
That's bad from Xhaka but awful game management from the manager who made him the lightning rod as captain.
— The Beautiful Groan (@beautifulgroan) October 27, 2019
It's also bad because Xhaka turning against the fans has an impact in the dressing room. He's popular there.
What a mess.
Xhaka off for the second Premier League game in a row - big cheers greet the decision as Saka comes on.
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) October 27, 2019
Fans giving Xhaka the hurry up - he waves his arms, cups his ears and mouths "fuck off" twice. Tears off shirt as well.... #AFC captain...
Xhaka was made captain by a players’ vote earlier this season, but has not been a popular choice among many fans. He is seen as being part of an Arsenal team lacking backbone, as exposed by allowing their two-goal lead to slip against Palace on Sunday.
The Gunners lie fifth in the league, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, but with increasing doubts that Emery and his players can reverse the stagnation that set in during the latter years of the reign of Arsene Wenger.