Granit Xhaka has tonight released a statement about what happened following his substitution on Sunday during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
It’s been four full days since, and the Arsenal captain has taken his time before making public his version of events.
This is what he has had to say:
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% on and off the pitch.
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”.
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 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.
Granit
4 days worth of work went into that PR spin
There must be something terrifyingly wrong with anyone who can’t empathise and accept that.
Sometimes we fans forget that football is just a sport for our entertainment 1st before whatever. Yes we get emotional because we love our club and wish it to do very well but we must draw a line in certain places, cursing and threatening a man and his family is beyond my comprehension. Sundays reaction was an outburst from a lot that has been happening without many knowing because social media and blogs has opened up a floor of easy communication access to a lot of people, it’s now outrageously misused. For me apologies accepted let’s move on and and… Read more »
Yes please for the love of god can Emery please go. I don’t think there has ever been such a unanimous dislike for a manager by any clubs fanbase.
Most of us gave him the benefit of doubt, but let’s face it, he is a complete and utter wally.
I don’t dislike Xhaka and I think he was right to be pissed off. The fan’s real frustration is with the muppet in charge. We have the makings of a top-four team this year, but we won’t do it with him. EMERYOUT!!
Empathise defintely but think it is a bit strong to say something is wrong if you can’t accept. Why did it take four days to write, why remove Arsenal from your social media, if this had been released on Monday or Tuesday we would all have been able to move on without question but the delay opens the message up to a cynical eye when it did not need to
Fans have been screaming they don’t want him as a captain for weeks. He might have felt that leaving the captain picture after the substitution chaos would make thing worse. And also maybe suggest that he had pedigree as a captain by switching to an Switzerland picture. Just a thought…
Good thought and would agree with you if done at same time as the statement
Yeah, but I also think he had a (really) hard couple of days. So I will cut him some slack regarding timing etc.
Sounds like he had a hard couple of weeks which for the mindless trolls is inexcusable and there should be punishment of that there is no question
Erm…four days to think about things rather than react off the cuff to what was probably the most humiliating moment of his career? And you’re complaining?
Good grief. Really no pleasing some people.
It’s a good statement, and it ends positively. Good on him.
Throwing stones with a mask is very easy.
Good point about the social media pic change. He just put fuel on the fire by doing that. This whole situation has been handled terribly. I am not a a Xhaka fan, never have or ever will be. I think he is shit footballer who has somehow got into the premier league, and I don’t know why he was chosen to be our capitan. The guy is average at best and he has pissed off a lot of people, and lime you said the social media pic change was a fk up. All that said, there is no place for… Read more »
Law*
How long have you not been a Xhaka fan Naked Cygan?
After 5 games under Wenger
You said never been a Xhaka fan. Did you not want him to start like everyone else did when he first came?
D_j_nolan
When you grow older and wiser, you’ll realise that apologies don’t work when there is still fresh anger. Let things cool off so you are able to think without being motivted by anger.
I am personally happy with the apology and appriciate how most fans have recieved it.
You obviously don’t know my wife then ?
Also slightly condescending seeing as you have no idea of my age. Also you are probably not aware that although English I live in Switzerland so have spent the week in a very different media environment and with Swiss people debating the behavior from the position of the National captain as well. My son was born here and I take him to see his first ever game next month when Switzerland play Georgia and we will both be cheering on Xhaka. My comments are not an attention seeking mindless reaction of some immature youth.
D_j_nolan
“You obviously don’t know my wife then”
Loll .. I see you speak from your own personal experience, fair enough, can’t question that..
I actually thought that comment was written by someone young and inexperienced so apologies if it sounded condescending.
No problems Reality thanks for the apology ?
It’s not an apology it’s a justification and as for the social media abuse. I don’t buy it sorry, he as the captain of the team has responsibilities and the way he reacted was wrong. No one in the stadium abused his family.
It took four days to write because he was probably resisting to say the easier, blah, blah PR version. It takes time to fight for a more genuine and fairer version.
In some ways I respect Xhaka more because of this. This doesn’t mean I want him captain or want to have him on the pitch every week. (Mainly because he has problems controlling his emotions) This shows, however, that he can and does fight for what he believes in. If he believes in Arsenal, you can be sure he’ll do that.
Class mature response from a strong man unwilling to surrender his integrity but admitting a mistake.
HoldenontoArsenal
Agree completely
Ashamed to be an arsenal fan when things like this happen.
The bloke is young with a young family. I dont do twitter of facebook etc so its hard for me to comprehend people would threaten his family. How do people like that live with them selves.
Falling out of love with football for so many reasons i will just add this to the growing list of reasons why.
He didn’t apologize, he did the classic Arseblog apology of: “If you got offended, then I apologize.” Which shows he’s not actually sorry, and thinks he’s the victim. Sure, move on or not, I want him and this clown manager out. Down vote me all you want. I’m a regular season ticket holder that’s been going to arsenal games before a lot of you heard about this club. I didn’t boo him btw, because that’s not what I’m about, I support my players 100% while they’re on the pitch and was devastated with how things turned out on Sunday. BUT,… Read more »
It’s awful easy for someone critical of a Xhaka to isolate the incident on the pitch at that moment and use it as a cudgel to beat him with. But he experiences his life as a continuum of time. And like all of us cannot 100% isolate all of the cumulative abuse he and his family have been subjected to. Yeah, he is a fucking victim. Of criminal level threats and abuse. I’d snap too. And I’d wager 90% or more of the rest of us on here would. And frankly, I wouldn’t feel bad about it. No fucking way… Read more »
Re: sarcastic cheers… imagine the gall of the boors… as if there’s a nuanced difference. Maybe there is. Between a prick and an asshole.
He’s a professional footballer!!!! You think any of the people that wished all those horrible things to him were in the stadium? There are scum on Twitter, and they troll most famous people! This is not an arsenal problem or a Xhaka problem. It just shows what a coward he is for using that as his excuse. He’s a small man with a big ego, not captain material and not an arsenal player.
So if most famous people are trolled then Xhaka must understand?Sounds like the mentality of a coward to me.
He should stay away from social media if that is the case. Being famous brings minority of idiots towards you.
You think actors, musicians, and other athletes don’t get subjected to that kind of abuse? That’s a problem with the social media platforms that allow these trolls to come on and say what they want without any accountability. That has NOTHING to do with what happened on Sunday. A couple of fans sarcastically cheered when his number came up (a dig at the stupid manager who picks him over anyone and how he’s handled the captaincy). Then when he threw the captains armband, more people started shouting. He then walked slowly and people were yelling to get off! That’s when… Read more »
Clear enough Gooooonnnnaaa. Clear enough. Your perspective is also sound enough.
Agree with this rant
Ah, well I guess because others are experiencing it that makes it all Hunky Dory, eh?
Not acceptable for me. Not in the slightest.
My take on this exactly, Mpls
Gooooooonnnnaaaaaaaa cop on,
I dont like your comment, So
I hope your wife dies and your first born baby gets cancer….
Now, have you “invoked” that response from me? or am I over the top?
use your head
You just don’t get it do you? Ok, let me further explain: 1) Those 3 extremely abusive comments highlighted above are disgusting. Should never be said, no one should receive that kind of comment, absolutely unacceptable. I hope I made myself clear on that. 2) Every club has a small tiny minority of fans that are possibly racist, abusive (verbally or physically) and in general just uneducated fools filled with hatred, jealousy and negativity inside. These idiots do not reflect the overall fan base. On Sunday, no one said anything along those lines, people negatively reacted to him throwing the… Read more »
“That has NOTHING to do with what happened on Sunday” But only a fool would think they are not related? If that’s the abuse him and his family are receiving at home, Then he’s cheered when his number goes up as he’s being substituted, then the fans boo him for not walking fast enough, all of that clearly will take a toll on him? You think his response wasn’t an accumulation of all of that? sick of been the new player the fans have turned on? i mean there’s always at least one? Eboue? AMN at RB? Ramsey got it?… Read more »
Yeah, only good fucking luck with Twitter, Facebook, or the FA doing fuck all about any of it. Rolling over and taking it doesn’t work. Xhaka’s response probably doesn’t either. But I respect the fact that he’s making a point of the abuse these people suffer. I don’t see it as an excuse, I see it as an explanation of his mental state, and that must be respected. Not saying anything about the rampant abuse just enables it. Calling it something flip like ‘trolling’ enables and encourages it. Trolls are proud of the moniker. They must be more accurately pegged… Read more »
Couldn’t agree more.
I can’t. I think it’s lame. I think he’s lame
Your a professional athlete you can’t take the trolls on social media, then don’t have social media. Let your play on the field do all the talking
Threat to kill someone is not trolling. It’s a threat.
And there lies the much bigger problem Bob, his his play on the field has done the talking for the last 4 years and it says he is not good enough for The Arsenal
Look – I respect the guy’s passion, but I do feel this statement smacks a little of being ‘crafted’. And I feel Granit is simply not a fit in this current team. Whether he is ‘good’ enough ito requisite skills is a debate that will rage on. My perspective is a simple one: it stretches all the way back to Armstrong and Brady, Davis and Mickey T and Rocky, through Parlour, Petit and Patrick, Gilberto, Tomas and Abu ( bless his talented but brittle frame). And it stretches fondly forward into the magical and deserved resurrected career of Santi.. The… Read more »
I object that the captain who reacted too emotionally and quickly took the time to craft a thoughtful response….said and thought too many Arsenal fans.
Of course it is crafted. Monkeys did not write it! On a serious note, if it wasnt well thought out and well written, we would jump on him and call him “insincere” or “lazy” or “uncaring” or something else… What else would you want him to do? How would you have responded?
I do have some sympathy. But he forgets the fact that those internet trolls aren’t anywhere near the stadium in all likelihood. They are just bored pricks looking for a reaction. The people in the stadium have stood by him over the last few years, even if his performances haven’t merited much. The internet is toxic and horrible and I don’t know what it’s like to deal with that. But at the same time, come on man, it’s just afore mentioned lonely twats, most likely young teenagers. You’ve got to be stronger than that. And if it’s really affecting you… Read more »
I see what you are saying but I would disagree… for someone in his position, its just “fans”. I am a teacher and my students are my students. I do not differentiate between my online students vs my face-to-face students and undergrads vs grads.
Yeah but that’s because you have a personal relationship with them. And they are accountable for their actions unlike some anonymous twitter account.
Up until this season the general mood in the stadium has been very forgiving. And obviously this is bigger than Xhaka. It’s Emery and the performances in general we are frustrated with.
But if he wants the captaincy, he has to be somewhat accountable when it goes badly. Especially when he’s making individual errors that cost us points. It’s all part and parcel of leadership and I’m afraid he’s failed at the first hurdle.
@HelderHughes that was exactly my reaction. I feel sorry for him but internet trolling is part and parcel of being a famous people on social media. What was said about his family was terrible and shows how low people can go, but I don’t think it’s anything worse than what most footballers have to deal with from time to time. Are we saying Sterling doesn’t get death threats even when he plays well? I’m sure he does, but he doesn’t let it get to him, even when it’s national newspapers doing it. As I said I feel sorry for Xhaka… Read more »
No but family and friends are likely to be. It would always get back to you unless you live in total seclusion. And that kind of comment get straight to your head
“The people in the stadium have stood by him over the last few years, even if his performances haven’t merited much” I don’t agree with that mate. Not booing doesn’t equal support. Other than that how did fans support Xhaka? fans in the stadium are not the best when it comes to supporting and encouraging the team when they are down, We instead boo them. There is reason the place is called Library. We also boo almost all our former players because we’re salty, insecure children. Ox got booed but still showed class when he scored which was nice to… Read more »
Ox actually clapped our fans when he went over to take a corner even while they kept booing him. That’s class and composure right there.
It’s the players job to get the fans going. Sadly Xhaka’s football doesn’t often do that. I think how often we sang the Torreira song in his first few months at the club. Why? Because he plays with his heart and leaves it all on the pitch.
The trolls are the stadium! The internet didn’t boo him as he was walking off. Guys, we need to collectively own up. We don’t like Xhaka and Emery picks him regardless, so we feel we have the god given right to be as horrible as possible to him and his family.
#WorstFansInTheWorld
Not that I respect RVPs decision to leave, but thats exactly what happend when he released a statement with a personal touch. When you are angry or hate someone, it’s easy to put a negitive spin on everything..
Ray Parlour probably would have had it this bad if social media was around in the 90s. Thankfully it wasn’t
I’m gonna say it how it looks to me: The difference is Ray was in a winning team and he was English. So his fucking up was naughty. Xhaka and Mustafi are less than human to the current lot of fans.
I might be alone here, but I honestly was not bothered whether Xhaka apologised or not. I was at the game on Sunday, and I didnt think he ever owed us anything, all things considered. Regardless as to what you think about him as a player. He does always try his best. Yes, his best hasn’t always been good enough, but I dont believe for one second that he deserved what he got from pretty much everyone in the stadium that afternoon. Genuinely I have seen Adebayor turn up in a Spurs shirt, score a penalty. and get less abuse… Read more »
It is social media. Absolutely no way to tell if all the abuse he has received has been from Arsenal fans. I hate this situation because he got abused, but also because how we(the fans), the club and those close to the club have handled it make it seem as if Arsenal fans are the worst in the world at this. This is not unique to our club and this club has millions of well meaning, level headed fans so I find it odd to focus on the few who insult the man online. (If they are even Arsenal fans).… Read more »
The few idiots include you too. There is no distinction here.
Instead of being responsible and wanting more out of our own behavior (like goober above) you want to say it will happen again, and are okay with it.
So how come you aren’t a idiot?
@NairoGunner89 I’m sorry I don’t really agree with what you’re saying. I dont care whether this issue is one that doesnt just effect our Football Club. It doesn’t matter to me that they have the same issues at Chelsea, or United, or Liverpool (as examples). I dont care how their fans treat their players. At Arsenal we should not be treating our players like the way we have been. One of the core values of Arsenal is that we always uphold our class. Currently the behavior of a large portion of our fan base couldn’t be further from that, as… Read more »
IamaGoober
Classy comment bro, appriciate it. His team mates love and respect him because he’s the first one to defend them one things get edgy and he’s been doing that even before he was captain. His effort and commitment cannot be questioned.
Neither could Robbie savage commitment being questioned but he was never good enough for a team that wanted to challenge and Beverly a top team. Ian Wright called it, “a handful of good games in 4 years” says it along for me. I have moved on from Sunday and am now back to where I was before. Is he good enough to play for us let alone be captain. NO
Same goes for his reaction buddy
”Remember who you are, what you are, and who you represent”
Because the word sorry appears in the statement it doesn’t make it an apology. Lack of professionalism is what he should be sorry for and nothing else.He shouldn’t have to apologise for being bang average not up to the pace or being indisciplinedHe should be open to criticism but obviously there are people who take it way too far and hopefully judgement day will come for them.
Snagger
Professionalism doesn’t mean bending over for anything the customer throws at you. They pay to watch the game, not to abuse and insult players when they feel like it, I am sure the ticket mentions no such allowance. If you are getting no pleasure from the game, find something else in life, shouting, abusing and getting all emotional wouldn’t change much.
And if you choose to look at others, look for good examples and not the bad ones, bad ones only validate your own bad behaviour
So when the team puts in another turgid performance should we not let our feelings be known? Is it the cinema we are going to and should sit quietly with our popcorn and maltesers? This is the 21st century gladatoriarl arena. Those sick lowlifes that troll and write that disgusting bile can go crawl under a rock. We all groan when a pass goes astray we all shout ooh for a near miss and when our captain trudges off and cups his ear then what?
Are you going to the cinema or a football? When the films were silent people used to cheer the hero and boo the villain. Should we just sit there eating popcorn and maltesers? The whole point is to get emotionally involved. A near miss is an oooh, a crunching tackle is an argh, a goal or win unbridled hysteria. So what is your captain trudging off with his hand cupped over his ear telling fans to f off? Polite applause and shouts of we understand your inner emotions, If you are happy with his mediocrity let him know. I for… Read more »
Yeah, typically the villains are not the players on our team. Let’s try keeping it that way for a change, eh?
Rugrat, shut up and review your life if that’s your response
I don’t know why the original PR spin comment has been so overwhelmingly voted down. This is spin. yes it was ugly but ‘social media comments made me do it’ is fucking weak beyond. You’re the fucking captain of the fucking greatest football club on earth. Get off social media if you’re not strong enough to ignore the toxic sludge that lives there. Weak weak weak.
if what you got from his statement was ‘social media comments made me do it’, then there’s no hope for you. there is much more to that, he clearly explained his feeling of not being understood and being rejected by the fans, which I would imaging hurts more than online abuse. he explained how the accumulation of rejection and abuse reached a boiling point on Sunday. the spin is you focusing on one little sound bite to try and push your narrative, which is extremely weak sauce on your part. it appears to me that he took some time before… Read more »
CJay I’m sorry, while I appreciate the need to draw a line under this whole situation, I still feel this is a weak response and symptomatic of the malaise at the club. He fucked up. Yes there were reasons for it. Yes he is human. But this statement still doesn’t take ownership of his actions. To me it seems he’s excusing his actions. Whether it was on-line trolls or the rejection in the stadium, his reaction was wrong and he should own it. I also object that he is clouding the issue. “Abusive comments in the stadium”. I’m a regular… Read more »
I have never heard Xhaka own anything. What the xxxx is he talking about not being understood. Go to therapy if you want to be understood. Let’s all move on and get back to bigger picture. He is not good enough unfortunately to play for the Arsenal. He could do well back in Germany maybe
I see your point, and you have every right to feel the way you do. Personally, I think he did own up to his mistake- “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.” I do, however, understand if you think it’s not worded strongly enough; I understand if you think he needed to say something to the effect of “I fucked up, my… Read more »
Fair play CJay, I’ll drink to that.
There’s enough people here and on other platforms who think this is enough of an apology to move on.
I hope for Xhaka and arsenal’s sake they’re right.
One thing we can all agree on, the in fighting is ugly and unbecoming of our great club.
Give me a signature belter into the top corner (winning goal) against Leicester City in the 80th minute just after you come on and all your sins are forgiven. Its all about the football.
Apology accepted.
Looking at the comments he talks about receiving, there’s something very wrong with any football fan Who makes comments like that to/about the players or staff of any club, let alone to the captain of their own club.
If your first thought is to blather about PR spin, there something wrong with you too.
It makes me sad to know that there’s someone out there who could wish someone, let alone a toddler, cancer. That too for a sport, a team sport that brings together players from different parts of the world to create beauty. How ironic!
Has the world always been like that or am I waking up to the reality just now?
It’s a good statement and there is no excuse for the vile things some scum have said to him but unfortunately that is what social media gives these days, s voice to these cowards. Having said that if this is the background he should have addressed this before then.
Also I am, like blogs, in the belief that this stems from fans being very unhappy with Emery. He offers no improvement and he built the pressure up on Xhaka with the captain farce.
I hope he wrote that himself. Some of it sounds very GCSE. Which is cool if he wrote it. Scary if it was PRd. Ultimately difficult to harbour any ill will towards him, as I don’t recall him giving less than his best. Thrown to the wolves.
The heckling is extreme, and I can certainly empathize with that context. Before that outburst though he’s demonstrated for several years now that he’s just not good enough to be in this team. He needs a fresh start elsewhere.
I much prefer a considered reply than a rushed one.
Rugrat is the new breed of Arsenal fan, I cant say how little I care for them.
I’ll take it
Indeed. Draw a line under it and move on.
I think it’s a well made comment. Brings to light some of the problems of social media (still can’t see why any public persona would want to be a part of that). I think it would be a good idea for the Arsenal Supporter’s Trust to release a comment too, apologising on behalf of the fans and at least ask for better from people. Now the question is should Xhaka remain as club captain? IMO, it’s a firm no (and that is aside from the fact I think it was a bad choice in the first place). I think this… Read more »
Dude, where’s my comment?
I like the way he’s apologised to fans who don’t abuse him, but clearly doesn’t want to apologise to the abusers. Absolutely fair enough!
Spot on.
let’s move on….but also maybe Xhaka not in every starting 11 🙂
Also shows he’s no pushover. And much less of a “coward” than people on here seem to think he is…
Completely agree.
And that’s why I don’t think this statement is “crafted” or “PR” or whatever. What makes it sincere is that he doesn’t offer a blanket apology; indeed, he points out the specific (and vile) things that led to the boilover.
There’s no way for us to know, but it sounds authentic to me, and I’m happy to accept it and move on with the hopes that a vast majority of us will support the Arsenal in a positive way.
Admitting, regrettably, that there are always a few to worsen it for everyone.
Love Mr Granit more.
No cowering.
Tells it like it is, no pandering.
Good on you Xhaka, score a trademark belter next game.
100%. The club needs to be apologising for having a section of absolutely shit fans.
Good luck unconvincing Aubameyang, Lacazette, and whoever’s else is lucky yet to have been booed to stay on at this shit show. Then wait for the “where’s the loyalty” crap. It’s a two way street.
FFS He has apologied to no one. Admits he got carried away but if you thought that his reaction was disrespectful you were wrong and he is sorry for that.
Garbage statement from a trash captain ?
Shows what kind of shit fan you are…
Can’t believe there is 36 people agreed this comment. Maybe he’s not as good as we would have hoped but there’s no way a person deserved to be called as trash
We need an unqualified apology, this is not good enough. Get out.
From the club for having a bunch of cretinous fuckwit supporters that abuse a man’s family? True. From the increasingly large number of toxic, entitled cunts who seem to think it appropriate to abuse the shit out of someone for the sin of not being the world’s best footballer? True.
I’m with Xhaka, they can all fuck off.
You must be really miserable if you NEED his apology. Maybe a bit entitled as well. I hope things in your life improve enough that not getting his apology doesn’t affect you so personally.
Perspective
We need unqualified fan support, ours is not good enough, get out
The hypocrisy is unbelievable. You couldn’t find a comment on here supporting Xhaka after he slid in and gave away another penalty recently. Now we are all meant to cheer him. I pay £1400 a year for my seat and I’ll be fucked if I’m gonna support rank average players and a an even worse manager. Both need to leave The Arsenal.
What a horrible thing to say. Pretty easy to see why you’re no longer a priest.
He admitted to disrespecting the club and the players. But did not even offer an apology to them. It’s not about what people thought you did, it’s what you did in front of millions watching. Own up to your mistake at least. Or say that the online abuse had nothing to do with the support in the stadium and apologize for conflating the two. I’m tired of this crap. Emery fuck off for instilling and not condemning a cowardice victim mentality.
Waiting for idiots to call it a fake apology……..
I’m definitely an idiot, and even I think its a real apology.
Fake apology
They already are?
You certainly didn’t have to wait long. Sadly.
Massive respect to him and agree entirely. I’m ashamed at what he’s had to endure as captain of Arsenal.
Please can we just move on and support this team and the players, who give 100%.
I think he should be rested on Saturday just so the dust can settle, and I’m not just saying that because I want Torreira to start…
He should be rested until January when he is sold off
Not the right time, Steve. This is about human interaction and morality, not footballing. There is, and should be a difference there.
AG, if I could upvote this more than once, I’d sit here and click on the green thumbs up until Saturday kickoff.
I could not agree with you more AG
Arsenal should release a statement saying online abuse to their players is unacceptable. But also that Xhaka’s actions were not becoming of club captain and that he was simply wrong.
Let’s move on now.
Thank you for your very long awaited apology. Happy to have him back as a player but not anywhere near the captains armband
Best comment on this subject.
I somewhat disagree — maybe this is just me trying to take the positives out of the situation, but I think football has changed and the idea of captains like how captains used to be is a very different thing. Footballers can, and should, have a right to be treated more as humans in this day and age, and I think that by Granit showing this level of raw emotion as a man displays more 21st century human leadership than captains of old. I think it’s really important for players to see their captain as someone they can connect with… Read more »
Fair enough, but Xhaka should not be played, not because of this incident, but his form and contribution to the flow of the game.
Surely the lesson he should learn here is to stay off social media ?
Don’t get me wrong, those comments aimed at granit are vile but come on, get your head off Twitter and concentrate on your football.
Ainsley Maitland Niles is another one…. he actually appologises to most people that slates him after every game online. I just don’t get it.
Good point! But regardless of his performances, he should also be able to proudly post a picture of his beloved family without having to see comments wishing cancer to his daughter and shit like that. And he sees them because they are upvoted and rise to the top. I remember being shocked reading a few last week. And it’s the first thing that came to my mind when the incident happened on Sunday.
Yeah, that kind of stuff is super crass
Welcome to social media you stupid furry animal,sorry I meant c**t,sorry I didn’t mean to for you to get offended!
He shouldn’t take the abuse on social media – especially as it relates to his family. People that say those types of things are flat out just scum. However it’s worth pointing out that the reason players use social media is it allows them to build a brand which then allows them to garner higher wages when it comes time to contract negotiations. Player image rights are negotiated all the time in foreign leagues & even domestically Pogba & Ozil are examples of 2 players who have leveraged their social media brands to garner wages much higher than their on… Read more »
In other words, when they can’t be bothered about working harder to improve on their infield qualities to earn more wages, they ran to social media ad a shortcut? I will never support anyone who attacks a family member of any star for whatever lame excuses/reasons, but if a sporting fellow wants to use followers as an advantage to squeeze out more money from his/her employer, then he/she should equally be prepared to deal with all the harsh nonsense that comes with “being on the spotlight on social media”. Unfortunately, there’s no way to insulate ones’ family members from those… Read more »
I think a lot of Ainsley’s apologies are sarcastic in nature
I don’t get sarcasm
Father Jack “I’m soooo sorrrrry” That’s sarcasm.
Their generation has grown up integrated with social media in ways previous generations cannot understand. Asking them to stay off social media is fairly akin to asking them to forego the telephone and television. Yeah, you can feasibly make do without, but your entire social sphere is intertwined with it. Not to mention, their ‘brand’ requires it, and like it or not, managing that is integral to their career and life’s work. Sure, they could PR it, but then they’d be mocked for ‘PR spin’ as we’ve seen commented here several times today. We all know very well that they’re… Read more »
“We all know very well that they’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t”. Not necessarily.. It’s called… A CHOICE. Consequences, perhaps. But I won’t use such a strong word as “damned” to describe that choice. There are stars who are off social media and they really fine with that.
Absolutely fair. Saw a “fan” calling for his newborn daughter to be raped. Fuck our vile fanbase.
Where? In the stadium? Or on social media?
the social media is full of them,hiding behind their virtual shield
Of course, it’s social media. The land of the vile. Why any famous sports people are on it is anyone’s guess…
But this is all known. Every facet of life on social media has people posting vile comments. To brand our entire fanbase as vile because of some miscreant from the other side of the world… not cool. I’ve been to the Emirates several times and not once heard anything as cruel. Jeers sure, but never anything like that.
If you DID hear it in the stadium you should have called the little prick out.
Some people need to get a grip.
Don’t be so quick to presume it’s from the other side of the world..
At the same time, you equally shouldn’t assume that it’s not.
Thanks. I agree with you. Some equally vile minds are making sweeping statements here. You can’t paint every Arsenal fans with the same brush (especially those boots on ground inside the Emirates and on away matches. Keep what happened on social media where it happened (it was a choice to be there), and things that happen in the stadiums during matches can be called out here (because he has no choice but to respect his contract). Thanks
Exactly. You’ll note that Amusa hasn’t come back to justify his comments on here.
Pot kettle black.
The guy who wrote that should go to prison if you ask me, but this is the state of social media in all spheres of life. It doesn’t change the fact that Xhaka is a terrible player, and that people have every right to be frustrated and loud about it. With Emery too
Who cares where? It’s disgusting anywhere.
It’s not ‘our vile fanbase’. Labelling 100s of millions of arsenal fans as vile is a dangerous thing to do. Football is a sport, which because of the money, is run by stupid cunts, played by stupid cunts, officiated by stupid cunts, marketed at stupid cunts. Corruption and racism is rife and yet is brushed under the carpet. Many Arsenal fans are fantastic people, some are average and some are worthless pieces of shit, literally like any other fanbase.
I was hoping for another c**t
Exactly my point. Why tag the whole Arsenal fans ad “vile”? Unless you has a vile mind. Arsenal fans are very passionate about their club and calls out any flaws seen in any player which seems to be detrimental to the set up of the rest of the team. Call it for what it actually is.. “Overly Passionate” and the dirty word “vile”. You can use that to describe those who follow him on social media (if you so choose to). I’m sure that they will respond in kind over there.
The police should be involved, it’s hate crime. The club needs to make a strong statement about this sort of thing. Decent fans need to support.
And the Social Media account not even using real name or real profile pictures. What’s the point of getting affected by that
Real names or not, it’s wrong to attack family members who has nothing to with whatever issue one has with the individual. Such people should be called out and condemned “ON THAT VERY PLATFORMS” and not have issues from there spilling out venomously on serious grounds (like match days). Describe them with your choice of words.. Viles, sadists, etc. But over there!
No. Fuck that “fan”.
I love every bit of his statement. You don’t say vile things to humans like you and expect them to still apologize to you right away. He just made his point. Respect is earned. Show him respect and he will respect you.
If he wants to condemn the online haters, post about it on social media for fucks sake. It cannot take away his responsibilities as club player and captain, especially during a PL game. Respect is earned, especially as a player. His performances have been shit. Emery’s fault for picking him, yes, but fans of all sports are fickle and only have a limited amount of patience. What the fuck was he doing against Tottenham? I didn’t see him owning up to his mistake, instead blaming strikers for missing chances. Emery and him are everything wrong about Arsenal at the moment.… Read more »
Yes, he should be called out for his shortcomings during matches but not abused. Those who abuse him or his family members within the stadiums (if any) should be called out immediately by those around them. But to say he shouldn’t be called out for walking out slowly while we need every second? What a hugwash!
well said.
I’m really not satisfied with that. His conduct, particularly leaving the stadium, was unprofessional and unbecoming of a captain. For me he’d lose the captaincy for the moment but with a statement that his conduct was unacceptable but not unforgivable. I still think he has a lot to offer the club.
If black players can consider leaving the pitch when suffering racist abuse (rightly in my view) then a publicly humiliated Xhaka can leave the stadium after the accumulation of bile his family has had to put up with.
Xhaka’s vile abuse didn’t happen in the stadium. There’s a difference. Don’t be a mindless sympathy robot.
Yep. People seems to deliberately ignore/overlook that fact.
Are we gonna be able to move on when 1% of the haters are still booing him at our next home game? He could do with scoring an absolute ripper in the first few minutes.
@bigdave he could do with sitting on the bench where he belongs on current form. Abuse aside he’s simply not good enough to be in the starting 11. He shouldn’t be picked out of sympathy or favouritism from the manager.
This is absolute trash. Strip him off the captain armband and sell him.
You are the real trash here, the sort of trash that doesn’t decompose and kills marine life.
You should be shot into the space, like forever.
Both of these comments are bang out of order.
I won’t stoop down to your level and exchange words with you because i’ve got class. Something Xhaka has little or none. An arsenal captain cannot react the way he did, regardless of the circumstance. Coupled with the fact that he is more often than not a liability on the pitch, the only way I see this ending is as above. The issue of threats to him and his family is a different issue entirely which those in authority should be handling as there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.
Steve, telling people that Xhaka has “little or no class” when you don’t know the bloke is what this is all about no?
He showed the worst attitude I have seen an arsenal captain display in my over 20years of being an arsenal fan. So yes, he is classless. Don’t need to know about his personal life
You do NOT have class. If you had class you would not have posted your original comment.
Well, you are entitled to your own opinion
Funniest comment today!
At least it sounds like something he actually wrote and that matches the way he feels. I’d take it over the PR spiel I was thinking would come out.
Thankfully we at least got a response but this was no real apology. I do not believe social media keyboard warriors that have abused him online to be the basis of our fan base. It fundamentally comes down to his actions not be befitting of an Arsenal captain and he has failed to address that. Sorry but saying ‘I’m sorry but that was not the intention’ does not really cut it as there is no admission of any culpability. Unfortunately I think it may be tough for a lot if fans to go back to ‘mutual respect’.
Totally agree man. I don’t care how many down votes you get, I’m with you on this. And I would never ever support abuse of a player, but he completely and selfishly lost it as captain towards jeers (a form of criticism, not abuse) and went even acknowledge his part in stirring up the crowd, not why supporters might be so frustrated. I don’t hate the guy, it I don’t think its enough. And all the players 100% behind him, you behind the fans too? You behind the players Emery derides as easily as the ones he defends ceaselessly? Let’s… Read more »
Well said
I don’t quite know why it took 4 days to craft that, but at least it’s a statement. I’ll take it. My concern is that the tensions between the club and fanbase aren’t going to be soothed by this. My question is: What’s he going to do the next time he gets pelters for a serious mistake on the pitch that costs us? This could all blow up again.
Give the guy the support he deserves for pouring his heart out on the pitch and stop scapegoating him, or anyone else, for collective failures. There’s no silver bullet solution, but if you stick by people they may just impress you. Everyone – players, coach and fans – wants to win. And I’m sure they’re just as upset as everyone when we lose. What I’ve seen in the last few days on social media is unbecoming of this club and it won’t make us play any better. Solutions take time to develop and slot in. Support the effort. Class is… Read more »
A statement to remind everyone that he is a human being as well as a footballer.
Good response!
Well said Granit. Now let’s all move on and beat Wolves on Saturday. He’ll keep the captaincy because the squad voted for that, and that’s fine with me, but I do want to see Torreira start on Saturday. (And Ozil and Bellerin).
Whoever said those things. You are a fucking cunt
AFTV genuinely have a lot to answer for, similar to how brexit has empowered racists to think their vile views have a place in human society
Everyone should turn the heat on them and see how they fucking like it.
Premier League players are humans like the rest of us. We all have our breaking point were we snap and maybe say or do things we wouldn’t normally do. In the context of this statement, I think this what happened on Sunday. Our fan base has elements in it which is totally toxic. When a player puts something on twitter, the comments underneath can be vile. It’s unbelievable. I think a line needs to be drawn under this, and the club and fans need to move forward together. I’m not Xhaka’s greatest fan by any means, we need to build… Read more »
I take that, as a parent if any so called fans disrespected my family especially my new born, I’m finding then and shoving their phone, computer, what ever they like to tweet on up where the sun don’t shine. Now it’s time Xhaka took a break from the starting line up, if only we could put emery on time out
He had no need to apologise, free speech works both ways. Don’t dish it out…. if you can’t take it…. Fans can chant and scream vile abuse at footballers, but when Xhaka tells them to f*ck off, fans then get offended, and demand an apology, which is straight up hypocrisy And I’m not talking about people criticising objectively, that’s part and parcel of public life, but some of the things I’ve seen written down said about Xhaka, Mustafi, Emery and Wenger over the past few years has been utter vile. And who if they’re honest hasn’t had the odd outburst… Read more »
Well said.
Them
As an Arsenal fan, I’d like to apologize to Granit for the abuse he receives from a select few Arsenal supporters. They do not speak for us all and they do not speak for Arsenal. They are a disgrace to the club and to the sport. Rock on, hope to see you on the pitch asap.
That wasn’t an apology was it..
The people who booed him don’t deserve one. Fuck them!
Fans did actually “cheer” him off, which is not strictly right to do but the booing started after he reacted. He shouldn’t have reacted as a Captain of our great football club. The idiots on social media are no fans and just idiots. I wouldn’t expect anyone in the stadium to say shit like that or they would be kicked out.
OK, you’d handle it perfectly if you were in his shoes. Shame it wasn’t you on the pitch on Sunday then.
Been supporting this club since 1968 hence I’m a supporter Had I wanted to be a criticiser I’d have gone into politics!!! A portion of our fans just aren’t supporters Granit plays for a club he genuinely loves like a real supporter should Perhaps these self same fans are creating a problem with their toxic ramblings Yes it’s about opinions and yes go ahead and express them but could you perform at your very best in the kind of atmosphere some errrr fans are generating? Support your club and stop helping the opposition people
Maybe trot a little next time your number comes up and we’re chasing a game Granit.
Thanks for the statement.
PS: stop reading social media…….half of them shitting on you could be Arsenal haters from other clubs……..come on, get sense here.
Hope we can too. Whatever your opinions on his shortcomings as a player he never fails to try his hardest.
Guy wants to go to work without people abusing him or his family. Seems reasonable.
Fucking brilliant!!
One of the most sad and frustrating thing about this situation is that (at least up til Sunday) our problem with Xhaka is actually our problems with Emery. He shouldn’t be in our starting XI, and he definitely shouldn’t have been made captain. Even if the other players like him, there’s not much point having the dressing room behind you if you don’t have the Emirates too. Xhaka’s a half-decent but flawed player who should never have been turned into a lightning rod for our frustration with Emery. Emery hasn’t improved us tactically and has created two massive issues through… Read more »
I never understood how anybody could boo a guy like Xhaka who’d die on the pitch for his team. His mistakes come from being over-commited, not lazy or disinterested. You don’t boo a guy like that, no matter how badly he plays. Boo the manager who keeps slotting him in if you want, but never boo a player who gives 110% for your team.
Ah yes over-commitment. His repetitive mistakes on the pitch came from being a headless chicken and he has never apologized for them
Good point. The last thing he can say is, “I was really, really pissed about being pulled two games in a row at 60 minutes” now can he? It is really difficult to see or understand what Emery is trying to accomplish at times. Surely not a player’s coach and all the tinkerers in this league don’t seem to stay around long.
It’s time to draw a line under this one and move on. But on the social media stuff, can’t he just block the trolls or have a private account? Don’t use Twitter myself so it’s a genuine question. I don’t understand why people let themselves be needlessly subjected to abuse from faceless keyboard warriors who do not in any way represent the vast majority of fans.
I think the damage is done, ignoring the vile knob heads, next time he has a poor performance, which let’s face it will be the next time he plays he’s gonna get abuse. I think the boos last time weren’t exactly just at him, the whole team once again was flopping a game we should win and he was the one it was taken out on. The whole atmosphere is dire at the minute and can’t see that changing anytime soon. Massive game next weekend, sadly not much confidence we’ll take anything from it.
I’m sorry but I don’t find this to be enough. We were wrong to boo him, but his reaction was completely unbefitting of the captain of the club: strolling off the pitch when we needed a goal, throwing down the captain’s armband, egging on the crowd, telling everyone to f*** off, angrily removing his shirt and storming down the tunnel. No matter what has happened to him, he’s supposed to be leading by example and carrying himself with dignity. He’s supposed to be setting the path for our younger players and showing them the Arsenal way. I’ll welcome him back… Read more »
You’re exactly right except for one thing – he isn’t anywhere near being a great player.
Lol good one.
As I mentioned. much ado about nothing. No need for immediate statement. Player needs to cool down and collect himself. Emery did the correct thing. Too many numpties want to make it a crisis or paint Unai as poor in man management. He isn’t. he has managed massive player egos before. no problem. Same with Ozil. He’s starved him a bit. Got him back hungry. It wasn’t like he was frozen out completely either. Ozil has been featuring regularly in training. Last match, more moans about his substitution but it was completely natural since its Ozil’s first game back n… Read more »
You would also say Mustafi is better than any other CB we have.
Hes paid a stupid amount of money to ignore them comments people could say what they want about me and my family us I was on 100 grand a week. Dont condone the actions of somenidiots mind but hes a professional and should act that way……on top of that hes shit
I don’t get what people gain from abusing someone’s family but again can we be certain that these are arsenal fans?…anyone can go on social media and trout all kinds of rubbish.. I have tbh if someone who I don’t know have never met or heard of abuses my wife…I am not sure I would give a rats arse!…
It shouldn’t take 4 days to say sorry anyways….it does sound like PR crap tbh
For me he still does not have the temperament to be arsenal captain though I empathise with is plight…
Just go and read the stuff sent to him before anything happened, it’s beyond disgusting and disgraceful.
We move forward then Granit
At the end of the day it should still be all about the football..The bottomline is that most of us agree he doesn’t have the qualities to be a first team starter at arsenal..a slightly below par sub at best…will he get on the bench at barcelona or bayern munich…why should he be good enough for arsenal talkless being the captain..
I still say sell in January if we can get a better replacement …simples..
Good for him let’s move forward
Are “we” the fans going to apologize for “our” behavior?
The fans no, the people who booed him should but they won’t. He made it clear that any fan, real fan as in persons who don’t abuse players, has his apology if they misunderstood what Sunday was about. The ones who booed him as well as those who abuse him and his family online get a gentle reminder that it’s time to start behaving and that is actually better than they deserve.
You must be a barrel of laughs at a panto! All that booing must have you reporting the children for abusive language!
And you must be an oil tankers worth of fun and support in the stands if you think booing our players is the way to go.
People that say those kind of things about his wife, daughter and about breaking his legs are pathetic. Say he’s shit at football, say you want him to fuck off and leave Arsenal but we should never cross that line as to what’s been mentioned.
Why do people even bother with social media? It’s full of idiots with shitty opinions and most of it is negative. I have no sympathy for somebody who gets upset over those ridiculous comments, but understand his frustrations with the jeering at games.
He doesn’t pick himself game after game, all he can do is play.