Arsenal had 10 players head off to Qatar for the World Cup with some now returning as the tournament enters the knockout stages. Granit Xhaka enjoyed a strong first half of the season with the Gunners and will feature for Switzerland against Portugal after they qualified from their group for the round of 16.
The Swiss qualified from Group G as runners-up, behind Brazil, after beating both Cameroon and Serbia in the group stages. The Arsenal midfielder put in a man-of-the-match display in Switzerland's final group match as they claimed a 3-2 victory to set up a clash against Portugal.
After the match though, Xhaka was spotted wearing a shirt with the name "Jashari" on the back which has been the subject of some controversy. Jashari is the surname of Xhaka's fellow Swiss squad member Ardon Jashari, but it is also that of Adem Jashari, founder of the Kosovo Liberation Army and a symbol of Kosovar independence.
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The 30-year-old midfielder claimed after the match that the gesture was not in any way political however. The Gunners star said: "There’s no political background to it whatsoever.
"Ardon is part of our squad and we spend a lot of time together. I told him if we won I would wear his shirt."
Former Kosovo president Behgjet Pacolli took to Twitter on Sunday, December 4 to offer to pay any fine Xhaka could receive. According to ex-Fifa and Premier League referee Keith Hackett, the Arsenal star could face an extended ban after pictures emerged of Xhaka wearing a Swiss shirt with the name "Jashari" on it.
"The fact is, he’s not allowed to do that," Hacket explained in an interview with Football Insider. “He’s not allowed to raise his shirt, even after the game, and show any type of statement.
"Even if that’s ‘Happy Birthday’ to his brother, sister or mother. You can’t have messages on his undergarment.
“There will be retrospective punishment and he could be banned but I would expect a fine. The disciplinary panel at the World Cup is pretty quick at dealing with these matters, they meet almost on a daily basis.”
It is not the only controversial incident Xhaka was involved in on the night after rhe Arsenal midfielder appeared to make a gesture towards the Serbian bench, in which he held his crotch. Xhaka was also involved in a melee late on in the match where he clashed with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic and goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Despite this, Swiss coach Murat Yakin was keen to defend the actions of his captain on the night. Yakin said: "What I saw was a Granit Xhaka who was focused fully on football and performed very well.
"I saw the players from Serbia crossing the line, and others trying to calm them down. It was a normal exchange."
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