Arsenal’s Xhaka and team-mate Shaqiri set to endure FIFA wrath after political outburst

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri are set to face repercussions for their celebrations in Switzerland’s 2-1 win over Serbia last night.

The Swiss overturned an early goal from Newcastle striker Aleksandr Mitrovic to come away 2-1 victors in the World Cup group stage match-up last night, leaving them in pole position to qualify from Group E.

The side are likely to come under scrutiny from FIFA for the players celebrations however, with the two goalscorers, who were both born in Kosovo, making political gestures whilst celebrating their goals against Serbia, a country who refuses to acknowledge the independence of their birth-country.

The duo are likely to be allowed to continue playing in the tournament without playing repercussions, but a fine is expected to be dished out to both players, and possibly to the FA of Switzerland also for breach of rules.

On a plus-note however, Granit scored a screamer from way out in order to level the tie, and his emphatic goal should be the biggest talking point from the last-gasp win, but unfortunately the players decided their political cause deserved to take centre stage.

The Gunners midfielder had a Kosovo flag on one his boots for the match-up, which isn’t believed to be an issue, but there is strict guidelines on political showings during goal celebrations.

Are the players wrong for marring the win with their political views? Did their views help the stars to up their game in order to hurt their opposing side?

Pat J

Tags Arsenal Shaqiri Switzerland World Cup Xhaka

37 Comments

  1. Definitely wrong, politics should not be allowed into football match (or pitch), a huge fine and 1 international match ban (not world cup) would do

  2. I do not think FIFA are in a position to punish/sanction players, considering the WC is being held in Russia! Haha! Even Blatter has turned up, and isn’t banned!

    1. Russia????
      Are you kidding???

      Those are Albanian nationalist thugs, the worst scum in Europe.
      Ban them for life and whip them for 10 days straight.

  3. FIFA has no business doing anything here. Players praise Allah and Christ when they score goals, kiss their country flags and do all sorts of nonsense. Who cares? You can’t salute your own birth country, but you can praise an imaginary genocidal deity? Makes sense.

    1. People that are raised in religious family or environment will not think their gods as imaginary genocidal deities. They are even willing to kill anybody who insult their gods and phophets, hence FIFA cannot disallow such fundamental things

      But they can disallow nation political gestures from the players or coaches, because nations are not as fundamental as religions. And it is not right to bring nation political issues into World Cup, because the competition is based on the relationship between the nations

  4. FIFA is wasting it’s time chasing after such causes. Being tagged Homo politicus shows that it is more than skin deep.

    Those boys are entitled to their views. The organisers will hard pressed to keep people from using the greatest stage on earth to air their views. Fines are largely symbolic and won’t deter.

    Racism in football is however more worthy of their attention. Gladly, there has not been any reported incidents so far in this World Cup, and that is highly commendable.

    This promises to be the best World Cup so far, if racism can be kept out 100%.

    1. I doubt this will be one of the best world cups so far, I’m 51 and this has to be one of the worst world cups i’ve ever seen so far. Still improvement could happen.

  5. No doubt FIFA would want have a second look at there celebration if people like Pat j and all other attention seekers won’t let the issue rest. What the f**k is wrong with people. Over the years i saw several of arsenal players celebrating their goals with guns gesture, shooting into the crowd. Iwobi did it recently when he scored against England. We are in a present world where all sort people doing what they want in the name of human right and it suddenly it is a crime when a player was celebrating and acknowledging his root. If Switzz don’t have problem with it why should FIFA. If they did that playing for Albania will there be all these nonsense.

  6. People,(FIFA)shouldn’t throw stones in glasshouses.Anyway the players mentioned are recognising and celebrated get their roots.

  7. All I know is it was a beauty from Xhaka…. more of the same for Arsenal please!
    Not bothered about the celebration … it’s up to him what he does

    1. No, when it calls for another war for Great Albania: Albania with Kosovo and big parts of nearby countries where albanian population is spreading by reproducing musch faster then others as a part of a political agenda.

      1. Agree with Maks completely.

        Only those of us from countries which have plenty of Albanian ultra-nationalists (and I’m not even close to being from Serbia by the way) and hoodlums know what we’re talking about. This is not some minor Polish or Hungarian or Ukranian nationalism. This is hardcore militant mafia that started the breakup of Yugoslavia which ended wonderfully if you remember (sarcasm), then split Serbia, now threatens to split Greece and Macedonia… Montenegro will follow, no doubt, as will the thriving of the human-organs black market…

  8. I have mentioned a month ago may be , about how arsenal should not neglect some bright spots in the recently relegated teams in PL.
    One such spot is Shaqiri.. I think he has made a pure rubbish decision in accepting stokes offer after playing for Bayern.
    He is not a perfect winger in the world but he is definitely miles better than the winget we have currently.
    And at a price of 13.5mil? I think it would be a huge bargain for arsenal who definitely need atleast one winger this season.

    People with a brain fit for nothing, always think big players will always play for big clubs and not for relegated clubs. I was called an dellusionist when i first stated my opinion about arsenal buying shaqiri, look at him now in a half decent Swiss squad?
    He is already performing well. Not because he scored a goal. But his overall contribution to the match is what impresses me.
    Good dribbler, good left foot, FK specialist, good crossing and strong though small.

    Hope we sign him.

    1. Yes he was great yesterday but can he do it on a cold night in Stoke? The verdict after a couple of years is largely no. Be very aware of players who turn it on at World Cup time, especially ones looking for their last big payday. I’d pass, for me he is this tournament’s Sissoko.

      1. Yes, he is not quick and I could see why he ended up at Stoke, based on his performances in Premier League and in Brazil vs Switzerland

        True high quality player will perform more consistently in tough away matches, not just in easy home matches. That lack of motivation and skills have been plaguing Ozil since he joined Arsenal

        Having said that, Arsenal do not have a strong left-footed right winger like Shaqiri and it would be steal to have a winger like him at a mere twelve millions

  9. How do two Swiss players drag down a Serbian player in the Swiss penalty area and a penalty to Serbia is denied?

  10. FIFA – Is this the same bunch of idiots who think it’s a good idea to hold a World Cup in Qatar?
    The same bunch of idiots, rumour has it, that accepted bribes from Qatar to do so?
    If it does go ahead there’ll be no kissing, hugging or even holding hands in public so goodness knows what will happen if the non-muslims want to sink a few pints!
    How on earth can anyone take FIFA seriously?

    1. Forget about such showing of public affection. Just think about footballing hurdles.

      How do they think players can stay in a country with temp rising to 50degrees celcius in the summer?
      May be since the games are played in the evening the temperature won’t be 50 but may be 35-40 , which is still way too much heat than england,germany ,italy or spain. The countries where most players representing thier countries play.

        1. Yes human beings in the form of construction workers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and other countries have died due to the working conditions and poor OH&S building the infrastructure for 2022.

  11. What I was interested in was Xhaka’s performance. He was great yesterday. Oh that left leg’s shot. Bring back to Arsenal that performance and we will be happy.

    1. He will never fight for Arsenal as he fought against Serbs, his historic enemies. At the end Xhaka is very primitive and limited player who will never shine for us as he should.

      1. Was he actually any different, guy I was talking with about the game didn’t believe he was. The goal wasn’t as special or as uncommon as the tweeters made it out to be. Switz as a team they are a good unit, grafters, they know their lines. But I didn’t see anything special.

  12. Could someone with some political knowledge or Historical Knowledge of that area explain what was the significance of the celebration implies, because i am positive i have seen that celebration before.

    Personally, to me, it seems footballers should behave like robots and show no emotion during football celebrations, what a dull our football is turning into

  13. There was no time and place to make frustrated provocations yesterday. They were primitive as Xhaka and the other one looked at that very moment. Yes, historicaly maybe Serbs fracked them for some time but they were not just an innocent victims who after all now have their state Kosovo.
    Problem is that albanians are not stoping there: already Kosovo and Albania has monetary union but they want Great Albania including parts of Montenegro, Serbia and most of Macedonia. So in this situation their celebrations are not just primitive, they are dangerous, calling for another war in Balkans.

  14. Me for one will sue FIFA to court if they punish me for celebrating the way xhaka and shaqiri did. A bird or wing sign can mean a lot of things. It can mean they are flying higher or eagles wing. FIFA has no right to impose a meaning on players celebration.

  15. arsenal needs to go after moses Simon and fast too,rumors hv it that liverpool are eyeing him. injury kept him out of this world cup

  16. Why aren’t they playing for Albania if they care so much. I’m sure Switz fans must be a bit puzzled with them too. It’d be like Iwobi and two others reenacting the three lions. Pair of bloody idiots if you ask me, it’s also why Xhaka hasn’t been the player we thought he’d be, dullard.

    1. I’m a Nigerian and so will write in defence of Iwobi, i didn’t remember Iwobi had the three Lions call up that he rejected and he has no reason or reasons to mock the English national team. If he chooses to celebrate in any gesture i think it is pure reflex and not mockery and if i may ask is the Super Eagles of Nigeria doing better than the Three Lions?

  17. ADMIN i think you did a poor job by allowing this political post made it this far, it should have been filtered and no disrespect to the writer. This is a football platform but not politics.

    1. If it is to do with Arsenal it will be on justarsenal. And don’t get me started on Rwanda where the average wage is 50p an hour…..

      1. Going through this thread, I can see a lot of hateful posts towards Albanians in general despite the fact that most I their population are innocent peace loving people.
        Maybe we should call the English blood thirsty murderers because their ancestors participated in the crusades.
        Then we should call all Germans blood thirsty murderers too for the genocide committed by Adolf Hitler.
        See where I’m going with this? When you allow certain posts, it’s inevitable that low IQ folks will post hateful trash.

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