Arsenal midfielder quizzed by police over racial abuse allegation

Police have interviewed Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka after receiving an allegation of racial abuse from a member of staff at Heathrow Airport on Monday night, reports BBC  Sport.

The 24-year-old was reportedly helping a friend that had been visiting him in London return home but the man arrived late and was not allowed to board his plane back to Germany.

The disagreement is understood to have triggered an argument from which Xhaka is alleged to have racially abused a member of staff.

“Police were called at 19:29 GMT on Monday, 23 January following an allegation that a member of staff had been racially abused at Heathrow Airport, Terminal Five,” a spokesman of the Metropolitan Police told BBC Sport.

“The allegation was made by a third party. Officers attended and spoke with a man in his 20s. He was not arrested. He voluntarily attended a West London police station where he was interviewed under caution. Enquiries continue.”

The Switzerland international has endured a turbulent time at Arsenal since the making the £30m switch from German side Borussia M. Gladbach and this investigation will not help matters.

Xhaka was shown a straight red card in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Burnley just 24 hours before being quizzed by police and will now serve a four-match ban having already been sent off earlier in the season.

Since the start of last season Xhaka has been sent off more times than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues (5).

For more stats on Granit Xhaka, click here to visit his WhoScored player page