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15th December 2021
12:25pm GMT

"Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday's match against West Ham United. We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow's match."[caption id="attachment_244306" align="aligncenter" width="594"]
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pictured before Arsenal's Premier League game against Aston Villa, in October. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)[/caption]
'My mother is going through some health issues and I had to be there for her. She's already much better now... I'm more than grateful to the doctors and nurses helping her get through this.'So, we have a clearer picture of what led to the situation the player and club now find themselves in. Aubameyang was back with his mother, Margarita, in France. Her health has not been great this past year and the footballer has made a number of trips home to be with her. He missed two games back in January for the same reason. While the club have tried their best to accommodate his requests to get home, they clearly set some ground-rules and feel the player was stretching those allowances. Removing the captaincy seems retrograde, but the briefings and behind-the-scenes attacks on his character are almost worse. Arsenal knew what type of character they were dealing with when they offered the 32-year-old a new deal, worth over £300,000 a week, last season. They knew all about Aubameyang when he was offered the captaincy, too. His goals haul has shrivelled and his form has suffered. They have made their move when it is easier for fans to turn against him. All they are doing, though, is dragging the name and reputation down of their highest-paid player and a guy who is contracted up until July 2023. They are using a grenade to get out of the Aubamayeang-sized hole they dug for themselves. [caption id="attachment_244312" align="aligncenter" width="594"]
Matthew Morgan pictured at Cardiff Arms Park in 2018. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)[/caption]
"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always."We cannot lampoon and criticise Piers Morgan, one minute, for his woefully cold-takes on Emma Raducanu and then get all high and mighty when a sports star says or does something we don't agree with. They say there are two sides to every story, but there are much, much more. These days, everyone feels they have a stake. Perhaps Aubameyang has taken liberties. Perhaps Arsenal have been harsh. The important thing is to try and consider the person before wading in on the character.
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