Granit Xhaka was involved in a heated clash with his own supporters on Tuesday night after defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were knocked out of the German Cup by third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld.
Bielefeld booked their place in the DFB-Pokal final with a historic 2-1 win over Xabi Alonso‘s side, as goals from Marius Worl and Maximilian Großer set up a much-anticipated clash against either Stuttgart or RB Leipzig.
It has been a quite remarkable journey for the third division side, who had beaten Bundesliga sides Union Berlin, Freiburg and Werder Bremen before their unprecedented victory at the Schueco Arena on Tuesday.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, could end the season without silverware. After being knocked out of the Champions League, they look likely to miss out on the Bundesliga crown as they sit six points behind Bayern with seven games remaining.
Alonso’s men were hoping to retain their German Cup crown this week but after they failed to do so, things got heated in the away end.
In fact, footage soon emerged of an animated Granit Xhaka engaging in a heated conversation with supporters, which soon went viral online as fans reacted to the scenes on social media.
One said: “He never backs down from confrontations and that’s what i like about him,” while another commented: “These lot literally won the league for the first time fans don’t have a right to moan at a one off loss.”
A third wrote: “Passionate fans and passionate face off, don’t mind this one bit.”
A fourth said: “That’s what they deserve for all these 90+9 goals last season, back to reality,” and another added: “Why does he always argue with fans.”
Xhaka has hit headlines in recent weeks. Last month, the former Arsenal captain publicly questioned Michael Oliver’s decision to award Bayern Munich a penalty during their controversial Champions League last 16 clash.
With 15 minutes of normal time remaining, referee Oliver pointed to spot after Edmond Tapsoba dragged Harry Kane to the ground.
It was a decision that sparked a furious reaction from several Leverkusen players, including Xhaka, who threw his arms up in anger before a VAR check upheld the call.
In his post-match media duties, he suggested Oliver would have waved away the same incident in England as it happens on a regular basis in the Premier League.
“In the Premier League, he doesn’t give that. I spent seven years there and know Michael. I’m convinced he wouldn’t whistle it in the Premier League,’ Xhaka told reporters.
“There are so many blocks in the Premier League that today it was nothing. It’s a bit disappointing from him to whistle such a penalty at this level and probably decide the game. If you give a penalty for every block, there would be so many penalties every game.”
