Aubameyang stripped of captaincy
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
LONDON • Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was yesterday stripped of the captaincy after a disciplinary breach last week, the Premier League club said.
The Gabon international, who was also omitted from the Gunners' win over Southampton last Saturday, will not be part of the squad that will face West Ham United at the Emirates in the league today.
According to media reports, Aubameyang was given permission to go abroad last Wednesday to return to France, where he was born, and bring his sick mother to England.
It had been agreed that the 32-year-old would return the same evening to ensure he would be ready to train the following day.
However, Aubameyang returned home from France a day later than agreed and due to Covid-19 regulations which mean players must produce a negative polymerase chain reaction test before being allowed to train, it resulted in his omission against the Saints.
At his pre-match press conference yesterday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed the decision was final and permanent.
He said: "I don't have much more to say, I think it is a really clear statement from the club, it is a decision we have made following the last incident that we had with the player and this is where we stand."
Granit Xhaka, who held the armband before Aubameyang, also had the Arsenal captaincy taken off him after he swore at fans who booed him during a October 2019 game against Crystal Palace.
Arteta admitted he had some serious thinking to do before deciding who was the next best player to wear the armband, with no obvious candidates. "Obviously, it is a really unpleasant situation and it is not the moment to make any rash decision," he said.
"We are going to continue like that and that is one of the decisions that we made, to make that group a little bit better and try to educate them and try and get the right feedback all the time and build that trust and the strong culture around the club.
"It is working really well so we will continue to do that."
Aubameyang, who last year became the club's highest earner after signing a £350,000-per-week (S$634,000) deal that runs until 2023, was also dropped for the derby with Tottenham Hotspur in March for disciplinary reasons.
His form has nosedived since he penned that contract, scoring just 10 top-flight goals last season, and he has just four in 14 league appearances this campaign.
REUTERS
ARSENAL v WEST HAM
Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, tomorrow, 4am