Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to be fined by Arsenal for arriving late to the north London derby on Sunday as an image emerged of the Gunners captain stuck in traffic.
The 31-year-old captain was dropped from the starting XI due to a ‘disciplinary issue’ and watched from the bench as Arsenal came from behind to beat their bitter north London rivals 2-1.
sky sports
Watching from the Sky Sports studio, Freddie Ljungberg wondered if tardiness was a deciding factor.
“The only thing I can think is that maybe he’s been late or something. He’s still on the bench so it can’t be that bad. Of course it upsets the players,” the former Arsenal player and coach said.
“It’s not good for Arsenal and it must be something big to leave him out.”
Explaining the decision, manager Mikel Arteta said: “He was going to start the game. We had a disciplinary issue, we have drawn the line and we move on.
“We have a process that we have to respect for every game and that’s it.”
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Aubameyang was similarly keen to put the incident behind him and posted a short statement of his own on Instagram.
“North London is red and that’s it!” the striker wrote.
However, it is understood Aubameyang will receive further punishment in addition to being dropped for the derby.
According to the Daily Mail, the Gabon international is set to be fined for arriving late as this wasn’t the first time.
Arteta refused to confirm the nature of Aubameyang’s disciplinary issue, although an image has emerged of the striker stuck in north London traffic around midday.
Arteta insisted there was no rift with Aubameyang after the incident and hinted his ‘incredible’ captain will retain the armband.
The Spaniard said: “We have a way of living together that we have to respect each other and that’s it.
“But [Aubameyang] is an incredible guy, he’s probably one of the most important players in the team, he’s our captain.
“These things happen, we move forward. Let’s enjoy the victory.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal legend Ray Parlour accused Aubameyang of disrespecting his teammates and praised Arteta for making an example of the striker.
He told the Breakfast show: “I totally agree with Mikel Arteta, nobody is bigger than the team.
“I know Aubameyang is a very important player, captain as well, you’ve got to lead by example.
AFP
“There’s no excuse for being late. I think Arteta did a really good interview after the game, saying it’s dealt with and Aubameyang is available for Thursday. The matter’s closed.
“That’s what you’ve got to do, it stays in the dressing room.
“Why should Mikel Arteta start opening a can of worms? The public don’t need to know.
“Everyone will be a bit scared now, knowing they can’t be late. If he gets away with it and someone else is late, and they get dropped, then there’s a problem in the dressing room.
“I think it was the right thing to do. It could’ve gone wrong but you’ve stamp your authority and say you can’t do that.
“I think it’s disrespectful to the other players as well.”
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