Taulant Xhaka talks about his headbutt freak: “My wife washed my cap”

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No, Taulant Xhaka (32) is really not a dishonest player. When an opponent is down, the FCB terrier is one of the first to help. And when he gets into a duel with a bloodslide, the FCB terrier immediately apologizes. emotions? Yes! unsportsmanlike conduct? Rather rarely.

All the more surprising that Xhaka went all the way in the match against FCZ at the beginning of May. First he grabs his opponent Marchesano in the face, then he headbutts Nikola Katic. Xhaka does what Zidane did in the 2006 World Cup final, and the competition earns him seven suspensions. There is also another because of the fourth yellow card.

Xhaka is remorseful

About two months after his freak, Xhaka sits in the lobby of a four-star hotel in Seefeld, Austria. He is the most wanted of all FCB players, both BaZ and Blick want to speak to the 32-year-old for 20 minutes. He looks like he always does when he’s not on the lawn. Friendly, reserved, almost shy. A man who, at first glance, wouldn’t hurt a fly.

When asked about his headbutt against Katic, Xhaka almost exudes remorse. “I have lost control. This should not happen to me. That does not belong on the football field.” He’s a role model. To the fans and his family. And he did not fulfill this position. The reaction of his three-year-old son in particular gave him much food for thought afterwards. “My son watched the game with my wife. She washed my cap well when I got home. My son asked if I was committing a foul. And he mimicked my movement with his head.” That was uncomfortable, says Xhaka. Very uncomfortable.

According to Xhaka, he should have just ignored Katic. But that wasn’t easy. Because the emotions were foamed up in the classic. Because the referee whistled for an unjustified penalty. Because there was a pack formation. And especially because the FCZ defender provoked him very much. “I was able to control myself during the first provocations, but after the yellow-red card he pulled his shirt over his mouth again and insulted my wife, my family, my children so that no one could see. Then my fuse blew,” says Xhaka.

“I’m Not Dishonest”

The veteran has already been suspended four games and four more will be added at the start of the new season. “I expected even more, ten or eleven games suspended,” says Xhaka. The original Bebbi sees it positively that he is only a spectator in the beginning: “That can also be an advantage if I can see from the outside how the new coach plays. And I’m eligible to play in international matches.”

However, Xhaka cannot understand that after his outburst he is considered an unfair player in the eyes of many: “In my 13-year career I have been sent off six times, for the classic only once for an attack. I can’t understand why some people portray me as if something like this happens every two weeks.”

Source : Blick