Only five of 14,000 turn up to protest demanding Alexis Sanchez leaves Arsenal

Thousands of people had signed up to attend the event on Facebook, but only a small percentage of that number ultimately turned up

The protestors may yet get their wish, however, as Alexis Sanchez's future at Arsenal remains in doubt (Getty)

A demonstration intending to persuade Alexis Sanchez to leave Arsenal turned out to be something of a damp squib after only a handful of people turned up.

14,000 Facebook users had signed up to attend Wednesday’s protest in Santiago, the capital of Chile, yet reports suggest as few as five demonstrators actually attended.

The protest was organised in the aftermath of Arsenal’s devastating 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, which effectively ended their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League.

Sanchez, a national hero in Chile, scored the north London side’s only goal that night and the protest’s organisers believed he was unfairly being forced to carry his club team-mates.

“Chileans are tired of watching one of our stars work alone to bring his team forward. We do not want him to play in Madrid, nor to return to Barcelona,” the organisers wrote on Facebook.

“The truth is we do not care what team he plays for, we just want to see him fight with ten other players to get results, no longer on his own.”

Despite the meagre attendance at Wednesday’s march in Santiago, the protestors may yet get their wish, as Sanchez’s Arsenal future remains in the balance.

The 28-year-old is yet to agree a new contract with the club and he has just 16 months left to run on his current deal.

Sanchez, who currently earns approximately £130,000-a-week, is thought to want a significant pay rise in order to put him in line with the Premier League’s highest-earning players.