Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka reportedly became annoyed at West Ham fans after they were taunting his team-mate Nordi Mukiele at the London Stadium.
The Swiss midfielder, 33, was embroiled in an argument with fans seated behind the away bench as West Ham’s 3–1 victory over Sunderland entered its closing stages.
Referee Thomas Bramall briefly paused the match amid the commotion and was seen talking to West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as the stewards and fourth official dealt with the argument.
And, according to a fan sitting close to the altercation, the incident was sparked by Mukiele’s furious reaction to being substituted by Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris.
The supporter said Mukiele was being told ‘dry your eyes, mate’ by those close to the bench as he gesticulated in frustration and moaned at Le Bris with West Ham three goals up in the tie.
‘Then Xhaka’s turned around because he’s sitting two or three rows behind the dugout and between us,’ the fan told The Sun.
Granit Xhaka became embroiled in an argument with West Ham fans at the London Stadium
The Swiss midfielder is believed to have been defending his team-mate Nordi Mukiele
‘He’s turned around and started giving it to one of my mates who was sitting just in front, basically going “show some respect, show some respect” – quite ironic considering [Mukiele] just had a pop at his own manager.’
Xhaka took to social media after the game, but did not acknowledge the incident.
‘Not on the pitch today, but always with the team. Trust the boys. I’ll be back soon,’ he said on Instagram.
Le Bris told Match of the Day after the game: ‘I don’t know really [what happened], it’s always a shame when something like that happens, but I don’t know.’
Xhaka had started all of the Black Cats’ Premier League games this season before Saturday’s clash in east London.
He picked up a knock in his ankle during last week’s victory over Crystal Palace but travelled with the squad to watch from the sidelines.
