Izuchukwu Okosi
Arsenal Football Club on Tuesday stripped Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the team’s captaincy after he reported back to training late following a visit to France to see his mother.
Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed in a media conference that the forward will not be considered for selection against West Ham Wednesday night.
Aubameyang was dropped for Saturday’s Premier League 3-0 win over Southampton for what manager Mikel Arteta said was a “disciplinary breach,” which reportedly concerned a late return from a trip abroad.
“Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,” a statement from Arsenal read.
“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”
The latest captain’s conundrum is not the first at the club with Granit Xhaka also losing the armband after his confrontation with the fans.
Aubameyang’s first transgression was in March when he was benched for north London derby against Tottenham after what was described as a breach of the club’s pre-match protocol.
Arteta during his session with the media said: “It is a really a clear statement from the club. It is the decision we have made with the last incident we had with the player and this is where we stand.
“We had to make the decision, it is the right one to defend the interest of the football club.”
Arteta confirmed he had spoken with Aubameyang directly.
“It is a really unpleasant situation,” said the Arsenal boss, who nevertheless added that there had been no objections from Aubameyang’s team-mates.
“The players accepted the decision, they know because they have committed to it.
“We want to take our culture and how we want to represent the football club to a different level.”
On who might take the armband on a permanent basis, Arteta added: “It is not a moment to make a rash decision.
“The leadership group is really strong and we are going to continue like that, to make that group a little bit better, to educate them and get the right feedback.”
Asked if Aubameyang had played his last game for the club, Arteta added: “All I can say is that for now, he’s out of the squad, he’s not involved and sadly, this is the decision that we’ve taken.”
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
