Granit Xhaka says vile abuse aimed at his wife and daughter sparked his angry outburst at Arsenal fans during his substitution against Crystal Palace.
In his first statement since the incident on Sunday which caused mass controversy among the Gunners’ fanbase, the midfielder explained he reached ‘boiling point’.
In search of a third goal during the 2-2 home draw, manager Unai Emery replaced Xhaka with winger Bukayo Saka in the 61st minute.
The Arsenal captain was jeered off by home fans – and responded by cupping his ears as he walked towards the tunnel.
Xhaka then told a section of supporters to ‘f*** off,’ before taking his shirt off and leaving the pitch.
In his statement, the 27-year-old wrote: “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 me deeply.
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“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.”
