Arsenal This article is more than 4 years oldArsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss Europa League final over safety fears
This article is more than 4 years old Armenian will not travel to Baku for match against ChelseaSituation is unacceptable, says club’s managing director
Arsenal say it is “completely unacceptable” that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is unable to travel to the Europa League final in Baku because of fears over his safety and have urged Uefa to ensure that such a situation is never repeated.
The Armenia international pulled out of next week’s match after deciding it was too risky to travel to Azerbaijan due to the conflict between the two countries over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. However, the Arsenal managing director, Vinai Venkatesham, said the club was angered that Mkhitaryan had been robbed of the chance to enjoy what should have been one of the best moments of his career.
“I struggle to find the words about how strongly I feel,” he said. “We have a situation that is completely unacceptable. It is not our decision or Henrikh’s, but one we made together. We don’t feel he can travel to a major European final and that’s extraordinarily sad. He has had that opportunity taken away from him, one that is a rare opportunity for any player.
“We’re losing the opportunity of having him to help us win a major trophy,” he added. “It’s an extraordinary shame. All we can really do is make our point very clearly to Uefa. After the final we will explain to them why it’s unacceptable and must avoid it happening to Arsenal or any other club ever again.”
Mkhitaryan gathered all his teammates into a huddle before Tuesday training at London Colney to break the news that he would not be travelling with them to Baku.
The decision, which was made by the player together with his family and Arsenal, has been a source of upset at the club and Unai Emery then encouraged the squad to win the trophy for their absent teammate. “It’s bad news,” the Arsenal manager said. “But we cannot do anything for this issue. It’s a very personal decision. We need to respect him. We don’t understand, now, all the political problems. I spoke with Mkhitaryan. He wants to play and to help us. But they spoke, both family and him, and decided to not go. I cannot push him to go. I respect him 100%.”
When Arsenal played in Azerbaijan in the group stage he was omitted from the travelling party due to the tensions in the region.
There are no diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and Arsenal had sought assurances from Uefa about Mkhitaryan’s safety in recent days. Although Uefa and the Azerbaijan FA insist those assurances were given, the player does not feel he can make the trip, nor does he want to add pressure on his teammates before such an important match.
The 30-year-old tweeted: “Having considered all the current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with the squad to the UEL Final against Chelsea. It’s the kind of game that doesn’t come along very often for us players and I must admit, it hurts me a lot to miss it. I will be cheering my teammates on. Let’s bring it home Arsenal.”
The attacking midfielder scored in the 2017 Europa League final for Manchester United and turned out for Arsenal in 11 of their 14-game run to the final, so this decision comes as a considerable blow to both player and club.
An Arsenal statement said: “We are very disappointed. We have thoroughly explored all the options for Micki to be part of the squad but after discussing this with Micki and his family we have collectively agreed he will not be in our travelling party. We have written to Uefa expressing our deep concerns about this situation. Micki has been a key player in our run to the final so this is a big loss for us from a team perspective”.
A spokesperson from the Azerbaijan FA expressed its regret about this turn of events. “We very much regret this unwarranted decision taken. Whilst we recognise the right to make a personal decision not to travel, we would like to reiterate that as the host country Azerbaijan has provided all the necessary guarantees required by Uefa to ensure the personal safety of Mr Mkhitaryan. There is no reason whatsoever to put in question the seriousness of these guarantees provided by Azerbaijan.”
All in all, it is a sorry situation for an international player to feel the need to abstain from a major final. Mkhitaryan will remain with Arsenal in London as they continue their preparations before leaving for Baku on Saturday.
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