Football star Granit Xhaka’s dad hit out at a TV journalist after she slammed the Arsenal star for a “disgraceful” gesture at the World Cup.
Before his Swiss team was eliminated by Portugal on Wednesday morning in devastating fashion, Xhaka was in the middle of a furor surrounding his involvement in the heated clashes between his team and Serbian rivals in their Group G match on Saturday.
The fiery Swiss captain was in the thick of it and it was his gesture towards the Serbian bench that prompted the most explosive spotfire near the end of the match where tempers threatened to boil over. At one point Xherdan Shaqiri had bottles thrown at him from Serbian supporters in the crowd as he performed a lip-silencing goal celebration. The match also had 11 yellow cards — the most in a World Cup game since 2010 final.
Xhaka, 30, was seen grabbing his manhood in the direction of the Serbian bench at one point during the highly-charged 3-2 win.
The display sparked a mass pitch invasion from the enraged Serbian bench and a melee erupted.
There has been widespread speculation his gesture was directed at back-up keeper Predrag Rajkovic, whose wife was rumored to be having an affair with teammate Dusan Vlahovic, a suggestion which the Serb striker has vehemently denied, The Sun reports.
Xhaka was also at the heart of the stoppage time bust-up which saw him being grabbed around the throat by goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and threatened by Aleksandar Mitrovic and Nikola Milenkovic.
He then triggered further Serbian anger by celebrating the win in a shirt with the name “Jashari” on the back — Adam Jashari founded the Kosovo Liberation Army.
He escaped punishment from FIFA this time, but he was fined $15,000 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after celebrating goals against Serbia with a pro-Kosovo double eagle gesture.
Xhaka and Swiss teammate Shaqiri trace their roots to Kosovo, a former province of Serbia where thousands were killed and tens of thousands more chased from their homes during a 1998-1999 conflict between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian guerillas.
The double eagle symbol represents the Albanian flag and is viewed as a symbol of defiance in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 in a move that Serbia still refuses to recognize.
It’s why Xhaka’s gesture was so explosive.
Kosovan activist and journalist Zana Avdiu raged on Facebook: “Granit Xhaka’s act is a disgrace. An act of a street boy”.
She added on Albanian TV channel T7: “What does it say about our society when we celebrate such a gesture?”
The rest of the panel — all males — tried to silence Avdiu by claiming she “doesn’t understand the emotions of a footballer” or even the gesture itself.
But Avdiu responded: “I’ll explain it to you: Granit Xhaka’s gesture symbolizes a sexual assault.”
However, things got heated when Xhaka’s dad Ragip joined the show on the phone.
Addressing Avdiu in the third person only, Xhaka Sr said: “If she calls Granit Xhaka a street urchin, that’s a great shame!
“The woman who sits on this show and has no idea about sports, emotions, or Albanians.
“These people insult his mother, his wife and children, make a number of gestures, chant ‘Kill the Albanians!’, ‘Kosovo is Serbia!’ and she calls Granit one street boys.
“The Xhaka family has never surrendered and does not surrender. Granit’s gesture was neither political nor sexist.
“Granit is Granit. He didn’t make this gesture to offend anyone.
“I warn you again: you should be careful what you write about the Xhaka family.”
Avdiu replied: “What else happens?”
Xhaka fired back: “I’ll tell you later what happens. You will have to answer for yourself in every respect.
“But when the time comes, it will already be too late, I guarantee you that with my life. Because you don’t know the Xhaka family.”
Xhaka’s dad — who is from Albania and moved to Switzerland before sons Granit and Taulant were born — also pointed out his son has campaigned for and supported Albanian women who were raped during the Kosovo War.
He added: “He is jeopardizing his career and telling the world who raped our Albanian mothers, sisters and children — over 20,000 victims.”
Avdiu is reported to have received threats on social media since making the comment.
Xhaka, meanwhile, defended his conduct after the game.
“It was a game where a lot of emotions were involved but in general the game was fair,” he said.
“We wanted to focus on football and win the game and we did this. Now we’re in the round of 16 and we’re proud.”