Incomprehensible stalling, unnecessary yellow card. Xhaka now under investigation for betting on it himself

He’s known for his hard shot from distance and his excellent left hand, but he can also out-hit, out-explode and sink his team. Now, Granit Xhaka is under investigation for allegedly getting a yellow card in a game in December.

The case from the Leeds game is being investigated by the National Crime Agency on the grounds that one of the bookies bet on Xhaka getting a yellow card in the game. Nothing unusual, but the amount of £65,000 is striking.

There are two ways of looking at the situation. The Swiss midfielder and card penalties go together, after all, last year Xhaka saw ten yellow and one red in 27 encounters, he broke the ten-card mark in the 2019/20 season.

But then there’s the situation itself. It was the 85th minute of the league match between Leeds and Arsenal and the struggling home side were losing to the Gunners 1: 4.

It was all heading towards a quiet finish, Arsenal playing a standard situation from the middle of the park.

Xhaka took the ball. He hesitated, hesitated, then took a long run and continued to wait. The head referee ran out of patience and drew a yellow card.

So no matter how passionate Xhaka is about collecting cards, the 85th minute situation, combined with the money at stake, is at least thought-provoking. Will he get away with it, or will he send his own fans against him for the umpteenth time?

Source: Daily Mail, Twitter