Arsenal’s Aubameyang stripped of captaincy, ruled out of West Ham game

London, Dec 14 (EFE).- Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the captaincy and ruled out of the West Ham game after a disciplinary breach, the Premier League club announced.

“Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain,” the Gunners said in a statement.

The Gabonese “will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,” the statement read without providing more details about the nature of the violation.

The forward is being punished for returning late from a personal trip that he had agreed with the club, also breaking the Covid-19 protocols ahead of Southampton’s game, The Athletic reported.

“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed,” the English team added.

The 32-year-old is the Gunners’ highest-paid player with a weekly salary of nearly 350,000 pounds after extending his contract in 2020. However, he has scored 15 goals this season, his lowest tally since 2012.

During a presser ahead of West Ham’s game, coach Mikel Arteta refused to reveal when Aubameyang can regain his status or his spot in the squad.

“What I can say now is to make the decision that we made is really hurting, and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal. So for now, he is not involved in the squad,” he said.

This is not the first disciplinary action Aubameyang has faced as he already missed last season’s North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur for being late for a team meeting. EFE

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