Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka appeared to swear at the Emirates supporters when he was booed off during ugly scenes midway through the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
Despite Arsenal being denied a late winning goal by a controversial VAR intervention, the dominant post-match talking point was an unpleasant spat between the Arsenal skipper and the home crowd.
When asked if Xhaka would remain the club captain, Arsenal manager Unai Emery pointedly replied: “Now is not the time to talk about that.”
Already a divisive figure among the Arsenal supporters, Xhaka’s substitution was initially cheered by fans within the Emirates.
The midfielder responded by waving his arms at the crowd, cupping his ears towards them and, according to some reports, he appeared to tell home fans to “f*ck off” as he left the pitch.
He then rejected a handshake from his boss, Emery, took off his shirt and stalked down the tunnel.
“He was wrong,” Emery said after the game. “We need to stay calm and speak to him internally about that.
“We are working with the club and the players to play under pressure.
“We are going to speak with him because the reaction was wrong. We are here because we have supporters. We work for them and need to have respect for them when they are applauding us and criticising us.”
Arsenal travel to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and there are big question marks as to whether Xhaka will play in the game.
