Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has explained why Switzerland will not follow Germany’s protest against FIFA for banning the OneLove captain’s armband at the World Cup.
Before their shock 2-1 defeat to Japan on Wednesday, Hansi Flick’s side covered their mouths in a gesture to suggest that their voices had been silenced.
Several nations’ skippers such as Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Gareth Bale and Virgil van Dijk to name a few were disallowed by FIFA, as reported by GOAL to don the armband.
The risk involved was said to be that players would receive instant yellow cards, asked to leave the field of play and receive sizable fines.
While Germany at least showcased their solidarity with the LGBTQ community with their silent protest, Swiss captain Xhaka touched on why he will not take inspiration from them.
Xhaka on why Switzerland will not follow Germany’s lead
The ex-Gunners skipper told reporters (via NDTV News), “I don’t think we need to do anything as the Swiss team. We need to respect the rules and concentrate on our football, that’s all I intend to do. We’re here to play football and not hand out lessons to anyone.”
Interestingly enough, the Swiss FA spokesperson (via Swissinfo) had even stated that the national team had a desire to send a message in the World Cup, with Xhaka wearing the armband.
However, it seems like the Gunners’ in-form midfielder has decided to focus on enjoying yet another fruitful tournament.
Seeing top teams like Argentina and Germany be on the receiving end of shock defeats, Granit Xhaka seems to have directed his focus completely on ensuring Switzerland beat Cameroon, rather than copying Germany with their protest again FIFA.
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