Xhaka involved in angry confrontation after Leverkusen were dumped out of the DFB-Pokal by lower-league opposition
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| Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka clashes with a fan (Image credit: Getty Images) |
Second-tier Arminia Bielefeld defeated German champions Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to reach the DFB-Pokal final for the first time in their history.
Granit Xhaka apparently took exception to the reaction of Leverkusen’s ultras and took them to task in an ugly confrontation after the final whistle.
The heated exchange was caught on camera. Xhaka and the fans shared a special moment, swapping pointed fingers and furious glares in the aftermath of the holders’ defeat against third-tier opposition.
Shrinking violet Granit Xhaka has form with fans
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| Xhaka healed his relationship with Arsenal fans (Image credit: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images) |
It was a difficult night for Xabi Alonso and Leverkusen, whose CEO accused Bielefeld of not watering the pitch and called for the authorities to punish them after the embarrassing 2-1 loss.
Double winners last season, Die Schwarzroten infuriated supporters by squandering their last realistic chance of silverware in 2024/25.
They were emphatically knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the round of 16 and are six points behind them in the Bundesliga table with seven matches left to play.
Xhaka was instrumental in their historic season and has started all 27 league games this term.
But the 32-year-old’s willingness to get stuck in with his own supporters is legendary and he was never likely to take the ire of the Leverkusen fans lying down.
“The Switzerland international spent seven of his prime years at Arsenal, and not all of them were straightforward,” recalls the Express.
Xhaka made his views clear when Gunners fans jeered him off the pitch against Crystal Palace in 2019.
“I talked back, I cupped an ear, and when I got off the pitch I threw my shirt on the ground and went down the tunnel,” he told The Players’ Tribune later.
“We had been 2–0 up, they made it 2–2, and then I was taken off after about an hour. I had barely begun to move when I heard the boos.
“And it was not just a few guys in the corner – it was a lot of people. I was shocked. I had never experienced anything like this. When I got close to the tunnel, I looked up at the fans sitting there – and this is the part that I will always remember.”
Xhaka ultimately repaired his relationship with Arsenal supporters and left in 2023 with their admiration intact.
He won’t have the same amount of time to do so at Leverkusen but the flashpoint at Bielefeld was the culmination of a frustrating season and both parties will move on from the confrontation quickly.
Xhaka’s part in the team’s remarkable unbeaten season will go a long way to healing the rift in the cold light of day.
- Chris Nee
