ARSENAL reportedly blocked Granit Xhaka from releasing a statement to fans after he told them to f*** off.
The Swiss reacted angrily to being booed off during the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last month – gesticulating to fans, cupping his ear and tearing his shirt off as he stormed down the tunnel.
Xhaka has since been stripped of the captaincy but fans were initially angry with the midfielder’s perceived delay in apologising.
But, according to the Times, Xhaka wanted to issue a statement the following day but was stopped from doing so by his club because the two parties could not agree on the wording.
The 27-year-old eventually posted a statement revealing death threats against his wife and people wishing his young daughter got cancer.
Arsenal published the words in the following match’s programme which reportedly angered Xhaka further as this was done without his approval.
The statement – first released on Xhaka’s behalf through Arsenal’s Twitter account – read: “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.
“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.”
